Two Weeks of Stupidity
by Nezumi's Cheese
Summary: Eri needs a new model for her designs so Shiki asks Neku to help her. Neku says no but Lady Luck hates him. Beat hears their argument. This lands Neku into a stupid bet with Beat of modeling for Eri for two weeks for a hundred and fifty bucks. Joshua/Neku
1. Just the Beginning

Yay! My first TWEWY story! There will be Joshua/Neku.

Money converter to yen (Sorry, if it isn't exact):

1841 yen= $20

4602 yen= $50

9204 yen= $100

13805 yen= $150

Disclaimer: Since I don't own Joshua's epic quotes, it's quite obvious that I don't own TWEWY.

/

"So, are you and Neku an item or something? You're pretty much the only girl he talks to, Shiki." the pink-haired girl commented, making the glasses girl blush before shaking his head. "We're just friends."

Neku was the silent and cold yet an eye-catcher at school. Many girls considered going out with him if he wasn't so mean or an introvert. He was definitely NOT the affable type. He was the pessimistic type to ask for frays while not even bothering to participate right after that.

"So, you never asked him out or anything, Shiki? He's pretty cute. His body is totally hot. If he had a more suave and cool personality, he would be totally like the Prince." Eri commented dreamily. Unfazed and naïve of what is to happen, Shiki cocked her head to the side. "Tried to ask him out but he turned me down."

"Pretty harsh, don't you think?"

"No, not really. I should've known that Neku wasn't really the type to go out with anyone." Shiki commented. Eri tapped her head thoughtfully before the light bulb went off. "But does he still care about you, though?"

"Yeah, we've been friends for some time. He's actually tolerable if you know him well enough."

"Does he do favors for you, Shiki?" Eri questioned some more. Shiki looked both ways before whispering, "He actually let me fix his shorts once when one of the buttons was loose. Don't tell anyone, though."

"So, you two must be really good friends, right?"

"I guess so. I've been friends with him…." Shiki trailed, thinking back to the time of the Game which happened about ten months ago. She, Neku, and Beat were now sixteen. "For a little over ten months. Which is pretty premature for a friendship but he still trusts me."

"Good!" Eri slapped a hand on Shiki's back. "It's settled. Since Michiko moved, I want you to ask him something for me." Shiki tightened her grip on Mr. Mew as she blinked in surprise at her best friend's devious smirk.

"There's no way he'll say yes to that! Why do we need him?" Shiki nearly shouted out.

"He has the looks and he knows a bit of fashion sense from you. It's perfect!" Eri clapped her hands together. "Besides, with you, he's sure to comply!"

"N-No. I-" Eri placed her hands firmly on her shaking friend's shoulders.

"Shiki, there's no one else like him. Our friends doesn't strike the right chord for me. We need something different. Genders hardly matter anymore! He's our only hope! I can't model everything for myself, you know!." Eri said sternly.

"W-Well, alright but Neku's going to say no to that for sure!" Shiki exclaimed out. Eri patted her on the back before whispering in her ear, "That's your job to convince h-"

"Going to say no to what?" a voice called out from behind, making the two girls jump. Speak of the devil, the orange-haired boy stared at them, studying them suspiciously.

"Well, that saves us from coming to him. You're friends with him right, so he should say yes, bye!"

"Wah, Eri! Come back!" Eri bounced off happily from the two, leaving a panicked Shiki with her doomed fate.

"So, I'm assuming that you wanted to ask me something, Shiki?" Neku spoke out quietly. His eyes looked a bit interested but the rest of his face looked bored. Shiki fidgeted with Mr. Mew's tail and laughed nervously.

"Uh, don't mind Eri. She was joking about it, haha." Shiki spoke awkwardly. Neku raised a suspicious eyebrow. "You're lying, aren't you? You told me about Eri and I know how she is. Tell. Now."

"Uh…" Crap, Neku is sharp. "!"

"Say that one more time. I don't understand gibberish." Neku snickered, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms. Shiki clenched her fists together before fidgeting once more.

"Can we…talk about this somewhere more private?" she whispered nervously. If she dropped the bomb on him in public, Neku is going to blow.

"Err…sure." A bemused Neku led Shiki to a small café that was barely filled. Trepidation filled his mind as he and the girl sat down. A waiter served them two iced teas.

"Umm, Well, Eri asked me to ask you to be our….since our last one moved out of the city…model for our clothes." Shiki muttered. Neku blinked before looking shocked. "She wanted me to be what?"

The orange-haired boy narrowed his eyes and grabbed his headphones. "No." To finalize that point, Neku shut out Shiki's protests by whipping out his savior. His headphones. For some reason, he never used ear buds, his father used to always say, "It's going to damage your eardrums if you use them since the sound is directly applied into the sensitive part." Five minutes passed before Neku took off his headphones, thinking that the punishment was deterrent.

"Please, we really need a new model. Our old one moved away. You're the only one that meets our best interests. Ugh, I was right. Please, Neku?" She gave him a sad puppy-eye look to emphasize her point. Neku hesitate before asking despondently, "What do I get out of all of this?"

"Oh? You're interested?" Shiki beamed with hope. Neku narrowed his eyes, not willing to capitulate just yet.

"No, I'm not. I'm curious."

"Well, how about this? Me and Eri give you 1841 yen each time you model for us." Shiki started before seeing the cannier look in Neku's eyes.

"I don't think that'll be worth it if I have to cross-dress, though." he sneered as he glared at his friend.

"Please, Neku. Oh, how about…um…" Shiki tapped her chin thoughtfully before coming up with something. "Well, they won't recognize who you are, though. That's what makeup is there for."

"Wait, now you're adding cosmetics in the mix. Yeah, Shiki, that makes it a whole lot better for me and my masculine pride, yeah. Seriously." Neku commented sarcastically.

"Trust your partner, Neku." Shiki pressed on, her tiny hands balling up into fists. Dang, Neku's litany is never-ending.

"Screw that shit. We're not in the game anymore. I ain't putting a dress on and that's final!" Neku nearly roared.

"Make-up? What's this? Since when did Phones start being a chick, yo?" a voice called out. A teen went over to their table and took a good long look to Neku. "He ain't a girl. What the hell has gotten into you, Phones?"

"Stop it, Beat. Maybe Neku had to do something with Shiki that involves with makeup." another voice that belonged to probably to a nine or ten-year-old also known as Rhyme.

"Yo, don't go gay on me, Phones, aight?" the teen warned. Neku groaned before pushing Beat away with two fingers to the forehead. "Hey, Shiki. What's going on with Phones?"

"Well, my best friend and I want him to be our model for our clothes. But so far, he's refused." Shiki answered forlornly. Neku let out a "Hmph" in response. Beat tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Why wouldn't Phones want to do that, won't he be all popular or somethin'?"

"Think about it for a minute, stupid. You're a boy, you're posing in an idiotic and gay dress, and your pictures go out in public between a group of girls. And those pictures scream 'GAY' all across. What do you think?"

"I think I see your point, Neku. That would be frightfully embarrassing." Rhyme chimed in. Neku let out a sigh in relief. Rhyme was a goddess. She was probably one of the few lucky ones who truly understood his pain. However, the next thing she said threw him off. "But, in a way, it wouldn't be too bad. It's only being passed by a handful of girls. I doubt any boys would see that. You should try it first."

Oh god, why was the world against him? And Beat, being the idiot he was, exclaimed one of his new games.

"It's settled them, yo! Let makes this a game! Bet! Neku! You, me. I bet that you won't be able to survive two weeks of modeling for 4602 yen! Aight?" Beat proposed enthused. Rhyme couldn't help smiling but Neku obviously declined the bet.

"No, jackass." Neku muttered quietly. "I absolutely refuse to."

"Fine, a 9204 yen!"

"No."

Beat guffawed loudly, beating the table loudly with a fist. The manager of the café gave Beat a warning glare. Such good friends Neku had, huh? "You scared, aren't ya, Phones?"

"No, it's called common sense, stupid." Neku's hand twitched for his headphones.

"I still say that you scared, Phones! You're a wimp!" his idiotic friend cried out. That's it. Time to shut them off. He took out his Mp3 and raised the headphones to his ears until-

"Oh no, you don't. You ain't going mute on me, Phones!" snarled the teen before grasping on the headphones. Neku held tightly on his headphones, not answering Beat. Beat, in response, gave a violent tug to the poor headphones and then-_Snap!_

"Oh my fucking god! What the hell did you do?" Neku roared contorted. Beat moved his arm from the way as if Neku was going to bite him like hell but accidentally knocked over the glass of iced tea all over Neku's Mp3. Neku frantically checked if the Mp3 was still good but the Mp3 gave a dead and limp response. It was a goner. This was when the manager snapped and kicked the four kids out of the café.

"It your fault, Phones. You go silent on me, I go violent." Beat replied coolly. Shiki slapped a hand on her face as Rhyme giggled in amusement.

"I don't think it was necessary to destroy Neku's headphones and Mp3, though, Beat." Rhyme commented, pointing to the limp and nearly split object in Neku's hands.

"Yeah, I know, it wasn't necessary but he should have agreed to the bet before anything bad happen. It's his fault, yo!"

However, this did nothing to soothe Neku's ire. When he was foreboding something from earlier, he was pretty sure this was it. "This pair of headphones. This pair that I had for nearly half of my life. This pair that you broke. Now, add my precious Mp3 to that. Was more than 4602 yen, you bastard!"

"Well, at least this gives you a better reason to join the bet, right Neku?" Rhyme asked innocuously. Neku looked her before looking at a smug Beat. If glares could kill, Beat would have his sorry ass kicked by Neku in and out of hell two hundred and thirty four times by now. No, he thought that he was not crazy enough to do this but this is absolutely necessary. He got his Mp3 and headphones as a birthday present from his parents and it's going to be all hell over again when he have to pay up a new one with his own money. Beat is so going down!

"Fine. But make it 13805 yen at least for the Mp3 and headphones that you broke." Neku said hesitantly, earning a triumphant smirk from Beat and a laugh of delight from Shiki. Rhyme simply smiled before laughing along with Shiki.

"When do I start doing this monkey job, Shiki?" the orange-haired boy asked. Shiki giggled and hugged Mr. Mew tightly.

"Let's say one week. I'll tell Eri that." she said in gusto. Neku nodded miserably before turning to Beat.

"Okay, since I start the bet. I'll start off with the rules. You can't hide in your house to hide yo shame. You must show FIVE pictures of yourself in Shiki's clothes to one dude. Ha! Beat that!" Beat said triumphantly. Neku decided that wasn't too bad since Beat _is _a boy but luck decided to go against him when Rhyme tugged on Beat's arm. "Huh, what Rhyme?"

"What about you? You're a boy, right?" Rhyme explained. "Neku could just show the pictures to you and wouldn't spoil anything to anyone."

"Oh, you're right. Fine, Neku, you show this to someone who ain't part of us. Ha!" Beat exclaimed in glee. Neku slapped an aggravated hand on his forehead. For once in his life, he felt that he might lose to the idiot who calls himself a "loyal friend."

"Fine, but one that's it. And, I don't have to wear any dresses." Neku said quietly. Shiki gasped. "I'm afraid you can't do that, Neku. Half of Eri's designs are dresses."

"You gotta be kidding me. Fine, but I'm not putting any thongs or ladies' underwear." Neku huffed out. Shiki thought of this for second before nodding. "Okay, it should be fine, I guess."

"Oh, and one more thing, if, Beat, IF, you say of this to anyone during the bet. You're going to have to go through me."

"What you goin' to do, bitch at me?"

"Yes but also bitchslap you to no end until you cry for mercy. That's my line." Neku replied coldly. "One boy for five pictures, that's it. For two weeks, that's it."

"Aight! This bet starts next week, yo!" Beat punched the air with a fist. "This is going to be an easy 13805 yen for me!

Neku groaned in agitation and pushed the twinge away. His best way to show Beat that he was confident is probably to be acting sedate even though in his mind, he was silently weeping in his emo corner. His days were numbered.

0.o.0.o.0.

Seven days. Seven days. Seven days. The two words formed frantically and repeated in Neku's nervous head. Seven days till the apocalypse. Who could he talk to this about to? Definitely not Beat or Shiki and not Rhyme either since she would be most likely supporting her brother. Neku walked begrudgingly through Miyashita Park. Cat Street was just up head. That's it! Mr. H should be able to help him. Mr. H is his idol! Neku eagerly went in the WildKat to look for the man.

"Hello? Mr. H?" Neku called out. No answer. "Mr. H?"

"Oi. Phones? That you?" answered a voice. A man in his twenties came into view and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Hey, Phones. It's been a long time ever since I've had any company. How you've been?"

"Okay, I guess. I came here just to visit." Neku shrugged his shoulders casually. "Shiki, stupid Beat, and Rhyme are doing fine."

Neku suddenly remembered something and looked around anxiously. Mr. H, also known as Sanae, chuckled and spoke out. "No need to get tense, Phones. The boss is having his beauty sleep right now." He smiled in amusement as the boy let out a sigh in relief. Neku definitely did not want to see Joshua (a.k.a the "boss.") That stupid prissy boy always gets him more pissed than Beat. Not to mention, screw "trust your partner." Joshua proved to be an exception to the end.

"Hmm, did you and Beat get into a fight again?" drawled Sanae with a lazy hand occupied with a cup of coffee.

"Yeah. Another stupid fight. This time, I think I gotten myself stuck in another pile of shit. I made this," Neku added an aggravated sigh. "This is the other reason why I went to you. I made a stupid bet with Beat."

"Oh, all right. What's the 'stupid bet'?" Sanae asked, interested. He knew that Neku was never stupid enough to ever agree to Beat's idiotic propositions. This was new. Neku flushed faintly in embarrassment as he explained.

"So, it all started when Shiki and her best friend, Eri got this stupid idea that I should model for them in their clothes. I said no but since Lady Luck decided to be a bitch yesterday, Beat and Rhyme came in and overheard our conversation." Neku said. Sanae set down his coffee and motioned him to go on. "Then, the idiotic bastard wanted to have a bet with me. He bet that I wasn't able to survive modeling with Shiki and Eri for two weeks for 13805 yen."

"Whoa, that's a lot of money." Sanae exclaimed surprised. Neku nodded grimly.

"I said no obviously but he…" This time, Neku was seething with anger. "BROKE MY FREAKING Mp3 AND HEADPHONES!"

None of them heard the faint thump behind the door behind the counter. Sanae blinked in surprise before finishing the sentence, "So, you had no choice but to agree to the bet to get money for a new Mp3 and headphones since Beat was being a stubborn bull, am I right?"

Neku nodded vigorously. "That's why I need you to help me find any hidden loopholes of the bet that I could use to my advantages."

Meanwhile….

As Neku and Sanae were talking, from the door behind the counter, Joshua slept pleasantly. He purred and snuggled into the warmth of the couch, having a pleasant dream- "BROKE MY FREAKING Mp3 AND HEADPHONES!"

Joshua nearly yelp in surprise as he fell from the bed. Groaning silently, he crawled towards the door and nearly gasped as he heard a familiar voice.

"That's why I need you to help me find any hidden loopholes of the bet that I could use to my advantages." Nekky?

Opening the door slightly, Joshua squinted through the limited space and saw his beloved proxy once more. He smirked, seeing his proxy in distress, he decided to listen to the conversation.

"Well, uh, Phones. That's a lot for me to take in. Give me time to think about it, would ya? Come back tomorrow." Sanae said, scratching his head in head in thought. "Sorry."

Neku looked crestfallen but looked up again. "Please do hurry. My days are numbered. There's only seven more days before the apocalypse. I need you to think of something for me I don't want to fall in the wretched hands of doom. I don't want to die!"

Joshua chuckled softly at Neku's distress. Whatever Neku was dealing with must be a big deal.

"Well, it can't be that bad, right? You're just modeling for two girls. Besides, not the entire wardrobe has to be girl clothes, right? " Sanae tried be optimistic. "It's okay, Phones."

However, Neku shook his head like an abused dog. "This is Eri and Shiki we're talking about. My pride's at stake here. I want the money for a new Mp3 and headphones but I have to sacrifice my pride."

"Well, good things call from sacrifices, Phones." Sanae commented optimistically. "Anyway, it's just one boy besides Beat that you have to show those five photos to, right?"

Joshua became puzzled. What photos? The Composer smirked before thinking to himself. Whatever bet Beat proposed must've been a good one. Quite rare for the chimp.

"I'm not showing any boy a picture of me in some kind of girly clothes. Thanks anyway, Mr. H. Ugh, I just hope I don't have to hide in my house all day after I go through hell." Neku sighed irritated.

"Hey, you have been through hell three times, right?" Sanae shrugged his shoulders and took a sip from his coffee, earning a small smile from the teen.

"Bye, Mr. H. Have a good day." Neku shoved his hands in his pockets and walked out. Sanae chuckled before waving a hand.

"Just make sure that you don't come back here with a dress on, you hear, Phones?" Sanae called out.

"Whatever!" Neku called back.

Joshua pondered for a bit. A bet? Nekky's distress? Nekky…cross-dressing? Hmm…Interesting. The boy flicked the hair out of his eyes before walking out.

"Oh, hey, Boss. You up already?" Sanae raised a hand to greet the Composer.

"Yes, so then…" Joshua drawled in his cocky tone and leaned lazily against the table. "What's this I hear about Nekky and a bet?"

/

Continue? Review, please!


	2. First's the Worst

Whoa, that was fast! New chapter!

Disclaimer: Why do I waste my time to write this? I don't own TWEWY.

/

Unfortunately, Neku found no luck with Mr. H. Of course, the infamous Composer managed to get some juicy tidbits on his current dilemma and demanded in. Neku failed in finding a stable job so he couldn't get money in a way other than the bet. Neku did everything to look at the bright side but found it quite hard. Must…resist…emo…urges…

Neku, Beat, Shiki, and Rhyme met up at the Statue of Hachiko five days later. Beat, smug as ever, wanted to refresh over the rules of the bet with Neku. God, Beat's temerity was so freaking annoying. Rhyme and Shiki giggled in amusement as Beat and Neku argued over the rules. There were a couple new ones too. Their rules went something like this:

1. Phones must show at least five pictures to one boy who is not part of us by the end of these two weeks. Of course, Phones is welcome to show more than five. Hehe.

2. Beat is not allowed to force me into a bra or thong at any part of this stupid monkey job. And shut up, Shiki, you're evil too.

3. Phones must also spend at least two hours in public in Eri's clothes Or else he's in for some serious ass-whooping.

4. Bite me, stupid. I ain't doing that. Beat is also not allowed to be laughing his ass off in public or making kissy noises otherwise he's in for some serious bitch-slapping.

5. Oh, so Phones, you do admit you a girl. Aight! If Phones captures a dude's attention, he must make out with that boy for at least five minutes.

6. Hell no. Besides, Beat, I don't know anybody in this city who could hold their breath that long. They probably do not have any shame if they make-out that long in public. Beat is not allowed to accompany me when I'm modeling in Eri's clothes.

7. Phones ain't allowed to wear headphones AT ALL during these two weeks.

8. Beat is not allowed to break into my house and replace all my bathing products with girl shampoo. I know you too well, Beat.

9. Phones, you're not allowed to call off the bet.

10. Good, 'cause neither are you, Beat. Now, shut up and die already.

Rhyme raised her hand for a suggestion. Beat and Neku turned to her at the same time. She smiled innocuously. "May I add something?"

"Sure, Rhyme." Neku answered smiling.

"Beat is not allowed to-"

"Wait a minute! Why is Rhyme against me?" Beat cried out. Neku snickered sadistically. Rhyme took no heed to her brother's accusation and continued. "-question Neku's sexuality."

Shiki and Neku stared at the small girl, wondering how she learned that word before glaring at Beat suspiciously. Beat blinked and cocked his head to the side. "What?"

"What in god's forsaken name did you teach Rhyme, Beat?" Neku hissed, seething with anger. Beat automatically held his hands in defense. The beanie-wearing teen let out a string of unrecognizable excuses before Neku rolled his eyes and crossed his arms surly. It took him five minutes to get back his nonplussed expression. It was only…he checked his cell phone. Fourteen hours, thirty-two minutes, forty-one seconds before doomsday.

That night, Neku hardly got any sleep. He stared at the ceiling like an insomniac before standing up to walk around. These nights were especially forlorn without his beloved musical objects. The rays of a morning sun met the poor boy's eyes cruelly. Ugh, this is the day. Neku took his time to throw on a shirt with an oversized collar and some white shorts. He greeted his mother good morning who only smiled cheerfully at her son, knowing what bet her son is suffering because of his friend. She could've talked to Beat's mother like Neku suggested but the mother was secretly looking for some interesting things in life and Neku posing in girl clothes would _definitely_ be one of them. Besides, Shiki was a nice and polite girl. She trusted her.

Neku did his best to hide under his collar like a shy turtle before quietly saying goodbye to his mother and his pride. He could just traipse to nowhere but a pang of guilt struck him at the thought of letting Shiki down. The girl was a bit annoying at times but she WAS the reason he had friends now although not very good ones. He passed the overcrowded streets of Scramble Crossing and walked towards Shiki's house. He licked his lips in anticipation before ringing the small doorbell. He waited and stared at the dour wooden finish of the door. A brunette woman opened the door with surprise.

"Hello, Neku? Why are you here?" the woman asked. Did Shiki not tell her mom that he was coming over?

"Shiki invited me here." he answered bluntly. Okay, that was downright mean but he is one hell of a mood right now. The woman thought for a moment before clapping a hand over her mouth.

"Oh! Right, you're here to help Shiki and Eri!" the mother exclaimed with a warm smile. The brunette fiddled with the glasses on her eyes before letting Neku step in. "Shiki! Eri! Neku's here!"

Silence. Silence. Neku's ears twitched for a sound before soft steps came from upstairs which then evolved into even louder steps which evolved into what Neku could only call a stampede of rabid girls. The woman didn't seem to mind but stared up at the staircase. A pink-haired girl and the familiar glasses girl appeared and came rushing down the stairs. Eri grinned cheekily at the uncomfortable teenager. "Hello, Neku. As you probably know, my name's Eri. It's a joy to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Shiki. Thanks for helping us."

The woman patted Neku on the back for luck or rather, out of pity, before disappearing from the room. Eri tugged on his arm eagerly while Shiki just smiled. "You're a god. Thank you, Neku."

"What do I get out of this?" Neku immediately asked. Eri blinked bemused before glancing to Shiki, sending her look that clearly said, "Did-you-forget-to-bribe-him?" Shiki pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose sheepishly, earning a sigh from Eri. The fashion designer let out a frustrated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I'll treat you to ramen for a whole month! Shio ramen!" Shiki said suddenly. Neku hesitated; he liked shio ramen. Damn that girl. He took a deep breath before nodding slowly in approval.

"Great! Let's get started!" Eri clapped her hands together enthused.

Neku nodded curtly as his breath was caught in his throat. He let the two girls lead him into a master bedroom. Holy mother-This room was huge! Don't forget to mention the huge wardrobe that tower over them, making Neku feel like a ant. Of course, he would never admit this. Eri walked over and twist the stainless steel doorknobs, revealing a whole room filled of clothes! Shiki giggled at Neku's horrified expression. His mouth felt dry. Eri catalogued and fingered the fabric of each outfit before finding what she need. Carelessly throwing her prizes behind her, Shiki struggled to get them. The pink-haired girl turned around and put her hands on her hips.

"Okay, Neku. Your outfit is in Shiki's hands. If you need any help, just ask Shiki, alright?" she instructed before taking the outfit from Shiki's hands and stuffing it roughly into Neku's hands. Neku glanced at it. A pair of pants. A light blue turtleneck shirt. And a dark blue-striped scarf. Okay, so it wasn't so bad. It was girl material but at least it wasn't some dress. Eri looked at the outfit proudly before shooing the boy into the bathroom in the next room.

Sighing, Neku locked the bathroom door. He slowly let his shirt fall to the ground before placing the demeaning piece of clothing in front of him. He grimaced and slapped a hand in front of face. He muttered cuss words before slipping on the turtleneck over his head. It fitted him nicely, maybe a bit too snuggly. If Beat saw him right now, he would be laughing his ass off hysterically. Next was the pants. For some reason, the pants looked a bit too small. What do girls do for looks? Neku's eye twitched in disturbance. Pushing the annoying fact away, Neku discarded his shorts and tried on the pants.

"Why is this so freaking tight?" he screamed when he tried on the pants and found it hard to moved. A soft yet worried voice called from outside.

"Neku, are you all right?"

Neku groaned before walking uncomfortably towards the door. He unlocked it and glared at Shiki, making the girl cower away. He let the contempt spread across his face. "This is so uncomfortable. What happen to the good ol' times of baggy jeans and shorts?"

Shiki giggled and covered her mouth. "It looks good on you, Neku. Baggy shorts are more like boy material, you see. You don't see those things much in a girl's wardrobe, especially not Eri's."

"You got to be kidding, me." Neku scowled in disbelief as he twisted his body to examine himself. Shiki circled him like a vulture to examine him before sighing out. "Good thing I made it the right size. Now, let's make you a bit more attractive with a bit of makeup."

The orange-haired teen immediately backed away. No way is makeup touching his face. He clenched his fists and stood stiffly. "No."

Shiki smiled before taking one of Neku's arms gently. "It's necessary. You scowl too much, it ruins your complexion, sorry, Neku."

"Forget it, Shiki."

"Hey, what's going on here? Whoa, you looked better than I thought! Perfect!" another girl's voice called out. Eri twirled in happily and put a steady hand on her hip as she eyed Neku up and down before giving two thumbs up. "Great job, Shiki. It fits him quite nicely."

The glasses girl blushed slightly in embarrassment before smiling. Affronted, Neku scowled and gave the girl the death glare. However, the fashion designer took no heed to it and pushed Neku back into the bathroom before glaring at Shiki. "That scowl is ruining his face. Make-up. Now."

The brunette stood up attentively before marching inside. Neku crossed his arms and shook his head. "Hell no, you're not going to put lipstick on me!"

Shiki looked back to her friend for help. Eri sighed in agitation before going towards a surly Neku. She breathed in and out. "Shiki, lend me hand."

Holding Mr. Mew protectively, she nodded and walked in with her friend. The bathroom door closed and the sound of it locking echoed out the room. A few seconds of silence passed. Mrs. Misaki passed by and was about to knock on the door of the special room before an agonizing scream hit her ears. She gasped startled and was about to unlock the door until her intuition kicked in. Something told her that she shouldn't go in unless she wanted to be demolished by the fury of a demon or be part of something illegal. Letting her hand drop limply to her side, she walked away, pretending that it didn't even happen. The screams amplified as she went farther from the room.

Eri dusted her hands off and stood back to admire her work. Shiki apologized to a distraught yet tied up Neku. The two girls ganged up on the poor boy and tied the boy's wrists together with a towel before forcing him to sit on the toilet top.

"You're both bitches." the boy hissed as he struggled against the tied-up towel. He could've kicked his way out but he had a natural soft spot for girls. Kudos to Shiki. Eri smirked before summoning Shiki over. The designer kneeled down to Neku's eye level and looked at him straight in the eye. "Just bear with me right now, Neku. It'll be all over before you know it." Neku threw an indignant look at Shiki. Eri chuckled before murmuring darkly, "And I swear, if you struggle against her, you will go through me."

Neku hated to admit it but Eri accented her threat pretty well in her dark and malicious tone. He winced visibly, earning a grin of satisfaction from the girl. She stood up and left, patting Shiki on the shoulder for luck. Neku was silent now with his head down now. Shiki walked meekly and kneeled down towards the angsty teen. Setting Mr. Mew down, she unzips the bag and pulls out a small tube. Neku spoke up suddenly, nearly giving Shiki a heart attack.

"Why…why me? Why does Eri want me in particular?" he breathed out. Shiki gave him a sad smile of pity as she brushed the orange spikes away from his face. She twist the cap of the tube off before applying them to his lips.

"Well, you see, Eri is a fashion designer. She needs someone to model for her in her clothes. Our last model had moved out of the city. She was crushed." Shiki murmured as she dabbed a bit of the lipstick on the boy's lips. "All of our other friends volunteered to help her but none of them struck the right feeling for her. None of them were a natural at modeling. Fashion is her life and soul. She knows what looks good and what looks bad. She said that she would model herself if she could but none of our friends besides her knows how to manage the camera. They don't know how to use it to accent her talent in designs. Then, you came along. She thought that you looked pretty attractive when she first saw you. Ideas rose in her head as she thought about it. "

"The hell?" Neku blinked his eyes in confusion. Shiki laughed heartily.

"Well, that's what she thinks of you." Shiki replied happily.

"I don't do modeling, though." Neku grumbled. She let out a laugh before taking out some eyeliner. Finally, Neku raised his head timidly.

"God, your eyes are beautiful." Shiki said breathlessly as she stared into the blue hues. Neku twitched those "beautiful eyes" of his, perturbed. "It's almost that you don't need eye liner or mascara."

Beautiful? Beautiful Neku's ass. He doesn't give a damn about his physical features. Besides, even if Shiki gave him a compliment, that was offending. When Neku thinks of beautiful, he thinks of pretty. When Neku thinks of pretty, he thinks of girly. When Neku thinks of girly, he thinks of sissy. When Neku thinks of sissy, he thinks of prissy. When Neku thinks of prissy, he thinks of bitchy. When Neku thinks of bitchy, he thinks of demanding. When Neku thinks of demanding, he thinks Josh. Wait, where the hell did that come from? Backtrack, backtrack, backtrack. Dear Lord, he did. If he connected his meanings in a circle, does that mean that he thinks Josh is…beautiful?

"Oh, hell no!" he suddenly yelled out, nearly making Shiki mess up her mark. She gasped before glaring at Neku in accusation.

"Don't do that again, Neku. You scared me and nearly made me mess up." she scolded. She shook her head before putting a bit more of makeup. With a few more strokes, Shiki finally stopped and put the horrid things away. She stood up and examined her work. She sighed as in dissatisfaction.

"What now?" Neku nearly whined in annoyance. She pointed to his unruly and spiky hair. "We have to do something about your hair, Neku."

"Come on. Untie already." Neku struggled once more. Shiki wagged a mocking finger playfully.

"Ah ah Ahh. Not yet, Neku." she smiled playfully in response to Neku's deadly scowl. However, the smile soon became perturbed. As she stared more at Neku's orange locks, she wondered to herself if there's any way to tame that monster. His hair poked all over the place. "All right, Neku. I'll untie you."

Neku let out a sigh of content before relaxing his hands. Shiki's hands weaved through the knots and loosened the offending towel. The boy rubbed his wrists before nodding curtly to Shiki. "However, Neku, may I warn you, Eri might not like this."

"Whatever. Like I care what that bitch says." Neku snapped, growling softly at the thought of Eri and her constant nagging. Suddenly, something soft draped over his shoulders. He fingered the fabric before realizing it was the scarf. Shiki gave him a soft smile. "Go break a leg and a arm, Neku."

A small smile tugged his lips before nodding again. He twisted the doorknob open and saw an overly eager Eri waiting for him. As Shiki predicted, Eri was not happy with the hair. "Your hair, Neku."

"Shut up, my hair stays as it is." Neku snapped back. Eri, sighing, shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "All right then, come here, Neku."

It was picture time. Unfortunately, Neku underestimated the fragile-looking girl, a bit too much.

"Look more graceful, will you?"

Way too much.

It took Neku nearly an hour, trying to sum up to Eri's satisfaction. His head filled with nags and complaints of the demon girl.

"No, Neku! Lean towards the right a bit and cock your head to the left. Ugh, that's too much!"

"Neku, wipe that silly scowl off your face! Your attitude is simply intolerable!"

"Neku, if you don't take my orders seriously this second, I'm going to seriously burst! I'll ship these pictures across the school if I have to!"

"Finally, Neku! No, move your right leg slightly to the right by THIS much! Now, tilt it a little to the left!"

"You're not taking me seriously! Stop making your actions stiff!"

Neku scowled in annoyance and anger. He refused to listen to this girl. Shiki stood by, giggling guiltily at Neku's suffering. Finally, the doom hour ended and Neku immediately zoomed back in the bathroom to change. Eri plopped her body next to her best friend tiredly.

"You seemed to have a hard time, Eri." Shiki commented in pity. Eri nodded before pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I am. My theories were right, though. Neku Sakuraba is a complete natural in modeling. Only, he's not even attempting to try. His attitude is simply…Ugh! He's quite stubborn! I completely forgot that he had a rebellious streak." Eri groaned in aggravation. Shiki nodded in understanding. "That's how he is. He's stubborn as a mule."

Shiki's hand twitched for her stuffed animal before realizing it was gone. She stood up and turned around to search for it before hitting herself on the head for her stupidity. "Oh, of course, I left Mr. Mew in the bathroom." Eri laughed before letting her friend run off.

Neku immediately ripped off the tight turtleneck off and held it out in front of him. Stupid article of clothing. How the hell do girls move in these things?

"Cross-dressing now, dear?" the voice rang out through the room, slicing the silence. "I thought you were better than that, hee hee." Neku's breath was caught in his throat as two cold arms circled around his neck. "It's been a long time, Nekky dear."

"Josh…" he seethed in annoyance before twirling around to punch the boy who immediately dodged it. The pale boy jumped behind Neku and put two fingers on his neck. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Joshua leaned casually against the sink before flicking a strand of stray hair from his face. "Simple, Nekky." He feigned a look of sorrow before continuing. "The Game has been so boring without you, dear. I needed some excitement. So, when the news came about you and your little bet with Beat, the chance was too great to pass up."

Neku scowled. "Get the hell out of here!" He jabbed a finger in Joshua's chest. "If the girls find out you're here, they'll think your some pervert or burglar!"

Joshua shrugged nonchalantly before curling his own fingers around Neku's, smirking when his proxy growled at him. "Just get out!"

"Aww, your words wound me, Nekky. Such cold and dirty words." Joshua drawled sarcastically as he feigned sorrow. Neku rolled his eyes. The Composer smirked before leaning down to his ear and whispering in a low and sultry tone, "I came here to see you after so long and look how convenient this place is. We're alone and you're shirtless."

As predicted, Neku's face went red with obvious embarrassment before turning into contorted anger. He pushed Joshua away and roared, "Screw you, you stupid dirty pig!"

Shiki, who was right outside the bathroom, was about to knock before hearing, "Screw you, you stupid dirty pig!"

She gasped in surprise before turning angry. Neku only called one thing a pig or piggy. That thing was Mr. Mew. She banged on the door, startling the Composer and Neku. Joshua turned to Neku and smiled cockily. "Well, I must go now, tata." He grazed his fingers against Neku's jaw before teleporting out. Neku seethed with anger as his fists clenched and unclenched. "That prissy bastard."

"Neku! You come out here this minute! You'd no reason to call Mr. Mew a pig! How dare you!" screamed Shiki. Neku slapped a hand on his face. Shit. Shit. And double shit. Because of Joshua and his annoying flirty tactics, he was in even a fouler mood. He thrust the bathroom door and roared in aggravation, "What the hell do you want, Shiki?"

Shiki let out a meek 'eep' in surprise before turning deathly angry. "I heard you in the bathroom; you called Mr. Mew a stupid dirty pig. How dare you!"

Neku glared at her false accusation. "I wasn't talking to that stuffed animal; I was talking to-" He stopped abruptly. He couldn't say it was Joshua otherwise Shiki may get the wrong idea. This sucked.

"Don't try to wiggle free out of the subject, Neku. You're the only one who calls Mr. Mew a pig!" she snarled viciously. Damn, Shiki was pretty mean if anything was against her stuffed animal. "Apologize to Mr. Mew! Now!"

Neku had to admit, that was pretty scary. He frowned before reluctantly picking up the stupid stuffed animal. "I'm sorry, Mr. Mew."

"For what?" Shiki snapped sharply. Neku let out an annoyed noise to Shiki before turning back to the damned stuff animal. "I'm sorry, Mr. Mew, for calling you a bad name." He felt like a little kid being scolded by a teacher.

"Good, now we are all friends." Shiki commented delighted. She smiled at Neku, who's mouth was agape at her sudden change in attitude. "Well, what are you standing there for, Neku? Get dressed. Unless you like the clothes so much that you want to still wear them." She giggled before taking back Mr. Mew.

The brunette smiled in amusement as her friend growled at her and slammed the bathroom door. She held Mr. Mew aloft in the air. "Well, Neku sure is enjoying this, isn't he, Mr. Mew?"

Mr. Mew's head bounced limply at Shiki's step, making it look like he was nodding at Shiki's statement. Back in the bathroom, Neku scowled as he ripped off the stupid jeans. Stupid Shiki. Stupid Mr. Mew. And Stupid Joshua.

/

Well, that's the first of…..Joshua's flirtatious attempts and Neku's days of modeling. Review, please!


	3. Petty Offer

Err…new chappie!

Disclaimer: I don't own TWEWY.

/

Amplified sounds of yelling was heard from the poor devil house. The neighbors could only scratch their neck and shake their head as they hear the pitiful screams of the poor victim in the Misakis' house. After three long grueling hours, the screams had silenced. The door swung opened, revealing an orange-haired, not to mention, angry teen.

"See you tomorrow, Neku!" Eri giggled cutely as she waved at the fuming boy who stomped out of the house angrily. Even Shiki looked a bit amused. Like a turtle, Neku buried his half of his head underneath the oversized collar. Maybe, a nap at home should do the trick. Yeah, that should be it. If Joshua knows about him and his problem, most likely, he would be waiting at Mr. H's. Not the wisest choice.

He went through the over-crowded Scramble Crossing, and through all the other places to reach home. However, on the way home, he passed the café where he and the bet were first chained together. Such ugly memories. His breath was caught in his throat when he saw Beat and Rhyme near the open café window. Ignore them, Just keep walking. Just keep walking. Just keep walk-"Hey, Phones!" Oh, goddamn shit.

Beat and Rhyme walked out of the café and ran up to meet with Neku. The beanie-wearing teen smirked at Neku before giving an over-friendly slap on the back. "Nice to see you, Neku! How are you doing?"

"Wonderful, Beat. Just wonderful." Neku feigned a smile in mockery. Beat, who once had a happy look on his face, turned into panic. "Wha-what? You're actually admitting you like to cross-dress? You're- you're-"

People's heads turned toward the three. That idiot. Neku's hand slapped over Beat's mouth. "I thought it was part of the bet that you weren't supposed to question my sexuality. Besides, I was joking, stupid!"

"Oh." Beat blinked dumbly before nodding. "Oh!"

Neku shook his head. "There is no hope for you."

The three talked for a while, walking back before saying their good-byes and parting ways. Neku came face to face with his house. With a sigh, he went in.

He unlocked his door with the key and was greeted by his mother. "Hello, Neku. Had a fun time at Shiki's?"

Scowling at his mother, he stomped upstairs without much of a greeting. "What do you think, Mom?"

Rolling her eyes, she went back to cooking lunch on the stove, listening in amusement at the angry steps of her son. The orange-haired boy threw himself on the bed.

What was Neku to do? The boy's hands flew to his collar but found nothing. He felt naked without his beloved headphones and Mp3. Maybe, for the sake of his dignity, he shouldn't have accepted that damn bet. Not even Mr. H was able to help him. What did he do to make God angry? Oh wait, Joshua IS God. With the ultra-famous Jesus beams on his cell-phone, the imprinting mind power, the death game and stuff, it was too obvious. Neku sighed in aggravation and frustration. "God" did not hate him. "God" was using him for his own personal enjoyment. This sucks.

Neku's mother went up to Neku's room with a phone before hearing the sulking and mumbling from her son. Teenagers, these days…"Neku?"

"What?" he growled in an angry voice. Being the patient mother she was, she ignored the annoyed tone in her son's voice and continued. "One of your friends is on the phone."

"If it's Shiki or Beat, I'm not talking to them." Neku yelled through the door.

"It isn't." What?

"Who is it, then?"

"This person named Sanae."

"Oh, Sanae? All right." Neku sighed before opening the door and accepting the phone. He couldn't help wondering, though. Why was Mr. H using his first name? Oh well…

"Hello, Mr. H?"

"Hello, dear." His hand stiffened on the phone as he realized who it was. It was "God," trying to make his life worser than it already was. "J-Josh? Okay, just how the hell did you get my phone number?"

"I have sources, dear. Sources. Not that I'm stalker or anything." the voice answered. Silence soon followed between the two. "Okay, maybe a little but you don't see me spying on you when you shower, right, dear?"

"That's mentally disturbing, Josh." Neku's eye was twitching as he frantically tried to erase the horrifying mental image from his head. He could hear the creepy giggling emitted from the other boy through the other side.

"Well, I had to lie. How else would I get you to talk to me?" crooned the Composer. Neku suddenly had the mental urge to just throw up. "What the hell do you want?"

"You have a little bet with Beat that has particularly piqued my interest. Care to explain the rest of the juicy details, dear?" asked the annoying voice. Neku narrowed his eyes. This is definitely stalker-ish. Surprisingly, Neku was unsurprised. The boy had a dreadful feeling of trepidation that Joshua would find out.

That really made Neku's day. Really it did. Neku groaned and slapped a hand on his face. "Have you called me to see me wallow in misery so you could smirk at me and push me further into the flaming depths of hell?"

"Ooh, you are so poetic! That's a good one, Neku. What have you been learning in school?"

"Just shut up, why are you calling me?" growled the headphone-less teen.

"Didn't I say before? I want to know more of your little bet with Beat."

"Give me one reason why I should tell you."

A smirk graced Joshua's features as he paused before saying his motive, "Well, it turns out that I've been quite bored these days. The Game…" He let out a mock sigh of agony. "Just hasn't been the same without you, my love!"

Though he hate to admit it, Neku thought that Joshua's acting skills were pretty good but nevertheless, that little display of agony did creep him out. "Cut the Shakespeare crap, that's no excuse. If you think I'm still going to be your pawn, this conversation is over!"

"Oh, Neku, please don't leave me! You can't just leave me like this! Remember all of our joyous days when we spend our time, lying in each other's arms, wishing for this torturous game to end-" Beep.

Yep, that was proof that Joshua was reading too much sappy romance novels. Well, that was a useless waste of time. Neku sighed, jumped off his bed, and went towards the door to hand back the phone. He gripped the door handle and gasped when the said thing refused to turn. He growled before trying to force the poor handle open. He twitched his eye. Giving one final tug to it, he tried to kick the door.

"My, my, Nekky, it isn't wise to take out your anger on a poor door." called out a voice from behind. Gulping loudly, Neku slowly turned around. There, in the flesh, was none other than "Go-," Well, actually the Composer. Joshua sat leisurely on Neku's computer table, smiling all the while. "Sorry to mess with your door handle but what else am I to do to get your attention after you rudely hung up on me?"

"Anyone with any sense would either die or hang up on you from hearing you preach random love crap." Neku scowled, crossing his arms. "Now get out before I jump out the window."

Joshua looked taken back before glaring at the teen. "It was not 'random love crap.' How rude. That was 'truth.' I have an idea that would benefit you." The pale teen crossed his arms, mimicking Neku's movement. Ignoring Joshua's snide comment, he inched slowly towards the window of escape.

"Correction: you mean an idea that could benefit you." Neku argued angrily. He would not fall for those goddamn tricks that bastard played on him before. Joshua let out a sigh before shrugging his arms. "Ugh, you are quite stubborn, dear. Well, knowing you, there is probably no way to change your mind. Yes, in a way, it does benefit me, then. It offers me some personal enjoyment."

"Then, no. I won't do it. Leave me alone and get out."

"I'll help handling the pain of the two weeks? Be thankful that I was bored otherwise I would laugh and see how you handle this matter by yourself." Joshua offered. Neku let out a rueful laugh. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"It pains me to see you view Sanae as a more trusting man than me, your own beloved former partner." Joshua feigned hurt, holding a hand over his heart.

"No shit, yeah, I do." replied Neku.

"Ugh, I guess I can't force you…" The Composer pondered in thought suspiciously before snapping his fingers. "Yup, I can't force you…"

"Uh, Josh?" Neku was getting pretty scared, especially at Joshua's crafty grin. "So, how much money? Ruling Shibuya and stuff, I have money, obviously. I can get you a new pair of headphones and Mp3. How does that sound?"

Bribing? Neku narrowed his eyes. "I'll accept the money if I wasn't chained to this stupid bet. You know that as well as I do, nice try."

Joshua sighed before going deep in thought again. "You've gotten so much smarter than before, haven't you, dear?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Neku replied offended. "Get out, now!" He went over and tried to roughly push Joshua off the table but the boy teleported on his bed. Growling, Neku sat on his table, sulking, admitting that he loss this battle.

"How about….if you don't, then-"

"You're threatening me now, Josh? How very creative and cruel." the orange-haired teen snickered.

"Hey, I like you. You like me. We're all friends. Consider it as a favor. This is a game between you and Beat. I like games. Did Beat mention that you couldn't get help from someone?"

"Err….no?" Defeat.

"Oh, he didn't? Then, it's perfect. Besides, I heard that you have to show at least five photos to a boy by the end of those two weeks." Joshua winked at him knowingly. Neku could only gasp in horror.

"Oh, god, hell no! Not you. Never you!"

"That's my part of pleasure from this game." Joshua answered in a sing-song voice.

"Why can't you just imprint Beat's mind to change his decision? That would make me happy and it's hardly even worth a sweat for you." he suggested desperately, clinging on to the small meager hope he had left into convincing Joshua to go away. However, the said person smirked before rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Good point but….that would make a game all boring. Besides, any game with you really makes my day. How about it, another partner game together? I'll help you, don't worry. Trust me." He held out a hand.

Neku hesitated before his next remark. Joshua was quite crafty, proving his wits to trick him during the second week of the Game. Maybe, he could pick up some juicy bits from the cracks of Beat's seemingly fool-proof plan. Damn it, those last two words; they always get to him. Part of his mind screamed for him to accept the offer but another part said the opposite. Neku mumbled some words under his breath and replayed them again and again through his head. "Trust your partner…."

Soon, his voice was replaced by his idol, Mr. H. "Trust your partner, Phones."

Absent-mindly, Neku's hand flew slowly and clasped Joshua's. Smirking in triumph, Joshua nodded before giving the hand an assuring squeeze. "So, we're all good now."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Neku blinked a few times before realizing what his choice was. Oh dear lord, he was going to hell. "R-Right." he stuttered hesitantly, wondering if he did make the right choice.

"All right, first things first. From accepting me as a partner, you hide no secrets from me, understand?"

"Wait, what?" Neku gasped in panic. Joshua wiggled a finger at him. "That, dear, includes me knowing all the details of the bet. Explain, please."

Scowling, Neku hurriedly explained the bet with Joshua nodding at each detail. At the end, the pale teen's eyebrows furrowed in thought for a minute. "All right, to start, to make embarrassment easier for you, I will have to be that boy who sees those five pictures. I'm the only one besides Beat who knows of this bet."

The orange-haired teen's eyes shot out before shaking his head furiously. He opened his mouth to protest before a finger silenced him. "No, dear. This is part of me helping you. It would be better for you, right? Be glad that I'm not asking for any of the money that was involved in this bet."

Neku swatted his finger away angrily. "I'm not going to show any pictures to you, Josh. Never, just ne-"

Joshua flicked a finger at Neku's head before replying, "Shut up and let me talk, dear. Anyway, I noticed that Beat didn't mention anything about not wearing a dress, right?"

"Eri will make sure I will, though." Neku snorted. "You don't know what you're doing, don't you?"

Joshua turned to him and gave him a creepy smile. "No. No, I don't."

Neku's eyes glanced briefly to his window. Maybe this was the best time to jump out the window. "Why did you sound so sure of yourself, then?"

"Because, dear.." Joshua smiled graciously. "How else was I going to get you to accept me into your game?"

"Why you-" Damn Joshua and his acting skills.

"You gave me your trust. Besides, I do promise you something though, I will help you. I will make use of your trust well."

"Haha, very funny." Neku laughed sarcastically. "Like how you did before during the Game?"

Joshua sighed before putting a hand of pity on Neku's shoulder. "You don't have to hide it. It pained me too when we had to separate."

"Get real, Josh."

"Hee hee. This is going to be fun."

"Bastard."

"Oh, would you look at the time. It's time for me to leave. Sorry but I must go, dear." Joshua fake moaned. Rolling his eyes, Neku pushed the Composer away. "Yeah, go already, Josh. I'll see you tomorrow, bye. Halle-freaking-lujah."

"Aww, how nice of you. You picked up some manners as well. My dear Nekky has learned so much."

"Just shut up and leave already."

With a cute and girly wave, the Composer teleported out of the room. "Well, at least, Josh isn't here to bother me anymore."

With a sigh, Neku tested the door handle. This time, it opened. He glanced at the clock. It was one ever since he came back now, it was two. Time was that fast? Hmm, anything happens with Joshua around. He opened the doorknob and went downstairs. His mother was on the couch, reading a book. She looked and smiled. "Neku, lunch is on the table. Where's the phone?"

Neku handed the phone to his mother before heading to the kitchen table. He ate his lunch in silence, wondering what tricks did Joshua plan for him.

Meanwhile…..

"Look, Bob. It's the rules. If you want to get to a specific place and there's a reaper blocking the way, you can't just argue, saying you're not his slave."

"But he's a bastard. He has no right to order me around! And my name's not Bob. It's Billy!" cried out the fourteen-year-old boy. The girl next to him nodded in agreement vigorously.

"But, Bob, that's his job. By the way, beating the crap out of a reaper then, stealing his key pin isn't the way to go. You could've got kicked out of the Game if it wasn't for me."

"But-"

"Who are these kids, Sanae?" Joshua appeared from behind the counter, attracting the three's attention. Sanae laughed before rubbing the back of his neck. "Two players. Just telling them a few rules of the Game. Bob and Sally."

"For the last time, it's 'Billy' not 'Bob!' Get that imprinted in your freaking mind, you old man!" 'Bob' screamed. Sanae gave out a choking laugh before patting him on the head. Joshua looked at the two Players in distaste. "Sanae, get them out of the café now. They're getting on my nerves."

"See? She's treating you like a slave! You should fight back and beat the crap out of her!" Billy pointed an offending finger at 'her.' Joshua's eyes narrowed dangerously as his hand twitched for his orange cell phone. These players had no respect for anyone, let alone the Composer.

"I'm not a girl…Bob." Joshua seethed. Sally laughed as Billy walked up to him and glared at him. Sanae laughed sheepishly before pulling Billy's arm gently. "I recommend that you don't provoke him. He's a dangerous one."

"Don't make me laugh. This sorry pansy obviously needs an ass beating!" Billy smirked before throwing a fist at the Composer who was obviously offended. Effortlessly, Joshua stopped the fist before flicking Billy's head. He gave Billy a hard and cold glare. "My day was just fine until you came along. What have you done to make yourself die, huh? I could end your life in a single hit. Don't underestimate me, fool."

"You're all talk." Billy, foolishly, once again, threw a fist at the Composer.

"Fool." The Composer let out an energy wave which threw Billy back out the door. Groaning, Billy looked up and met the Composer's face. "As you were saying?"

Sally rushed to his side and mumbled a couple of apologies before she helped Billy to his feet. The two whimpered underneath the Composer's glare before cowering away.

Smiling, Joshua went back inside. Sanae sighed before shaking his head. "Visiting Phones, I assume?"

"Yep. I managed to rope him." Joshua leaned against the counter. Sanae shook his head and sighed. This was expected. "Just what are you planning for him, Boss?"

"Oh, something." the Composer replied cutely with a giggle. "Something."

"Can't you tell Phones?" Sanae asked before receiving a shake of Joshua's head in reply.

"Nope," Joshua pressed a finger to his own lips. "It'll spoil the magic. Just not yet."

/

Sorry! It's a bit short, this time! Review, please!


	4. The Demon Hairspray

So sorry for being late!

Disclaimer: I don't own TWEWY.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

_Her short orange hair bounced up and down just above her shoulders. Her long legs and slender body twisted and arched with grace and ease. Her blue eyes widened in surprise as she sees a photographer snapping every move she took. Her face went red with embarrassment as she clumsily tried to block the camera. She-_

Neku's hands trembled with anger as he read the little "poem" he received after the shoot. "...Is this supposed to be a compliment?"

The boy finally gotten used to the outfits, but to his surprise, he hasn't reach the point of wearing dresses yet. Not that he wanted to. It's been six days. The closest to a dress or skirt was a skort. Part skirt and part shorts. The skort was too short for his liking though…. Bad memory…Thank god for the shorts.

This time, Eri's new hellish outfit consist of a dark blue tank-top and a pair of beige capri pants.

Eri tapped her chin thoughtfully as she looked at the mysterious poem. "I didn't show anyone any pictures, though. This is rather quite odd."

"You're a horrible liar, Eri." Neku seethed, glaring at her accusingly. The pink-haired girl glared back at him indignantly. Shiki quickly stepped in.

"Neku, Eri has nothing to do with this. Because the time when this came in, she was still taking pictures of you. There is no way she could've be at your mailbox at the same time. Wow, whoever wrote this is really good at writing. You might have some sort of admirer or stalker, Neku."

"That's im-" Neku's voice came to abrupt stop before realizing. Oh, Joshua, you didn't….

The orange-haired boy apologized quietly to Eri before saying good bye and heading out of the house. He walked briskly to Cat Street and slammed the door open of the WildKat. Sanae jumped slightly in surprise before greeting Neku puzzled. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Neku groaned in agitation before demanding to see the pale demon immediately. Then, as if, on cue, the said demon came waltzing in, acting innocent.

"Why hello there, dear Neku! Missed me already?" Joshua purred in contentment. Neku stomped forward and grabbed Joshua's collar angrily.

"What's with the piece of shit you sent me?!" He thrust the piece of paper into Joshua's face. Sighing, Joshua pushed Neku away with a finger before looking offended and handing the paper back to an angry Neku.

"Really, Neku, don't get so mad. That was supposed to be a compliment. After all, you did look quite good in your little outfit." Joshua replied quietly, smirking. "Look how pretty you look here." With a flick of the hand, a photo appeared in the Composer's hands, capturing the humiliating moment. Turning bright red, Neku reached desperately for the photo only to miss and nearly fall on the table. Teleporting behind the orange-haired boy, Joshua put his cell phone in front of Neku's face teasingly before raising it beyond the boy's grasp.

"You bastard! You said, you'll help me! Now, you got Eri and Shiki thinking that I have some kind of stalker or admirer!" Neku yelled out angrily. Sanae sighed and leaned again the counter. It's their little arguments again. Well, Joshua prefers to use the term, "lovers' quarrels."

"Neku? Please try not to destroy my café." Sanae sighed lazily. "Control your anger."

"You better listen to Sanae, Nekky.~" Joshua nudged Neku in the chest. Letting out an angry 'hmph,' Neku quieted down.

Hopping on a table, Joshua waved the insult away with a dismissive hand. "I won't help you unless I get something out of it."

"Am I that boring?!" Neku retorted back. Giggling, Joshua laced his fingers around Neku's neck before whispering in his ear.

"Quite foolish, dear. You never cease to amuse me. Ever. It's just that if I just help you dead on, it will be quite boring. Besides, dear, my games consist of sacrifices to get something. In your case, it's your dignity. I will gladly sacrifice that to win and make games more interesting. So, please bear with it, kay?"

Blushing at the close proximity, Neku roughly pushed Joshua back. "You're selfish, you know that?"

"And you're stubborn. As one of my game pieces, you have to follow what I say. I knew that you would react to it violently. That's why I didn't tell you. Besides, you got benefited too. This saves you the time for searching for a boy to show those dastardly pictures."

"Yeah, it does. But that doesn't mean you have to spy on me! And I'm not your pawn!" Neku's fists clenched in anger. Ignoring it, Joshua continued talking.

"Shut up and listen, dear. Oh, by the way, that reminds me! I also bought something for you." Joshua hopped off the table and strolled into the storage room for a few moments before coming out with a bag. Neku peered at the face of the bag.

"Le Grand?**(1)**" Raising a confused eyebrow, Neku stared Joshua who smirked knowingly.

"Josh, I swear, I will kill you and if you bought ladies' underwear to mock me." Neku said, gritting his teeth. Joshua look taken back for a second before smirking again.

"Well, I didn't but thank you for the suggestion. I'll make a mental note to that."

"What? No!" screamed Neku.

"Hee hee."

Reaching in the bag, Joshua pulled out a….

"….Is that a wig?" Neku blinked in disbelief and confusion. "Why did you buy a wig?"

Sighing in frustration, Joshua held the wig and fingered one of its sleek and silky locks. "You are so dense, Neku. It took me awhile to find a wig that was your exact shade of hair. It's for you to use when you're in public cross-dressing. Your hair, to me, is too wild and stubborn like you. Not that I mind, of course."

Growling, Neku took the wig reluctantly and examined it. The wig was orange like his and was long. He hate to admit it but it did look natural enough to look real. "Thanks….Josh."

Letting out a soft giggle, Joshua put a hand up. "No need to thank me. I did make a promise to you."

The orange-haired boy soften at Joshua's sincerity. Joshua smiled pleasantly in understanding. "You'll need it so no one would recognize you."

Nodding in understanding, Neku took the bag and placed the wig carefully back in the bag. Joshua cocked his head to the side. "However, Neku…"

"Hmm?"

"Promise me that after this bet, you'll wear it again just for me?" Joshua said, blinking his eyes in a pleading and innocent way. Neku twitched his eye in disturbance and shoved the wig back into the Composer's chest.

"Fuck you."

"Love you too, Nekky!" the Composer giggled back, giving a short and cute wave which was replied by a growl of annoyance.

"Thank you for making me change my mind. You just bought this to mock me!" Neku growled affronted. Joshua only smirked back in response.

Neku left the café, leaving the bag of hell behind. Maybe, he should try the wig on when he get home. Stiffening, Neku stopped in mid-step. Was he really becoming that feminine? Oh god, heck no! Slowly during his walk, he began to sink back into depression a.k.a. emo mode. Why did he have to suffer from this? If he knew this would happen, he would've brought Josh along to take his suffering instead. After all, Joshua was even more girly than him. That boy had the spunk. The attitude. The voice. The hair. His body can somewhat pass as a girl. Now, all he needs is some boobs. Wait, since when was he ogling Joshua's body?! Turning crimson, Neku shook his head to free that thought away. He didn't say anything! Ugh, he really need music now.

The boy headed towards Dogenzaka. He was really in the mood for ramen. Where was Shiki when he needed her?

Too lost in his thoughts, he wasn't looking where he was going and bumped into- "Neku?!"

Looking up, speak of the devil, the familiar brown-haired girl appeared in his view. She had a small bag and as usual, Mr. Mew in her arms. Adjusting her glasses, she gave him a friendly smile. "Hey, Neku…"

"Hi, Shiki." he greeted back.

"I never expected to see you here. Oh!" Shiki slammed a fist in her palm and smiled again. "Since you're here and all, can I treat you to some shio ramen?"

Neku blinked and glanced at the sky. It looked like it was two o' clock. Well, he should be-_growl…growl….growl…_

Shiki giggled and pointed to Neku's stomach. "Well, I take that's your answer."

Shrugging, he nodded and went inside the ramen shop with his friend. As promised, Shiki paid for both of their meals. Neku dug in eagerly as he savor the taste of his bowl of shio ramen. Shiki ate her own bowl quietly before coughing to get Neku's attention.

"Eri is really happy, you know." she started. Neku let out an annoyed huff in response as he set his chopsticks on his bowl.

"Evil bitch she is…" he hissed.

Shiki let out a soft giggle and continued. "Well, she might be evil but she has her reasons."

"Which are selfish."

"Not actually."

Neku blinked, now interested. Didn't Shiki already told him that Eri just needed a model otherwise she would be doomed to oblivion.

"Umm, Neku?…."

"Hmm?"

"Those reasons that I told you…that wasn't all…" she trailed off.

"Huh?"

"It's true that she was a bit selfish, forcing you into this massive ordeal but she's desperate. Ever heard of Shibuya's Fashion Designer School? It turns out….she got a scholarship there."

"Well, good for her."

"However, even with the scholarship, she still doesn't have enough money. So, she took a job at the Q building to try to earn money by working part-time there. However, in order to work there, she had to send in some of her designs to impress them. Unfortunately, our former model quit on us because she was moving. You're the one who really caught her eye, though."

"I see…"

"So, please don't hold any grudge against Eri. She's not doing this for personal enjoyment." Shiki begged.

"Is this all?"

"Huh?"

"You should've told me before. Idiot." Neku said quietly.

"Neku, I-"

"I would've took the pain much easier if you told me. You really thought that I would mind because she needed to use me to get money to get into the school of her dreams? Idiot."

Shiki beamed softly before placing her hand over Neku's. "Thank you…Neku."

"Tch, save your thanks. I don't need them. All I want now is to win that stupid bet that idiot number two made."

"Hey! What am I, then?" Shiki exclaimed offended. Neku crossed his arms and hid his smile under his collar.

"Isn't it obvious? You're Idiot 1." he drawled arrogantly. She reached over the table and hit him lightly on the head to reprimand him.

"Don't call me that!" she complained before laughing with Neku joining in shortly after. Shiki was a really good friend that he was lucky to have.

They finished their meals, paid their bill, and left the place.

"You're not complaining as often as you did before. Gotten used to it, Neku?" she teased lightly; her stuffed animal in her arms shook as if to laugh in support.

"You wish." Neku answered, crossing his arms.

"Anyway, thanks, Neku."

"Whatever." He waved a dismissive hand.

It was then when Neku finally took notice the bag that was in Shiki's hands. "What's that?"

"Huh?"

"Your bag."

Neku pointed his finger to her bag. Shiki's hands fluttered like white birds as she reached for her bag and then she giggled. " Oh, this." She reached into the bag and pulled out a small green bottle. "Well, I bought some hairspray so I could flatten that demon hair of yours."

"I see." However, the boy secretly thought, 'What's wrong with a wig, though?'

"So, I'm using this tomorrow on you, kay?" Shiki waved the bottle.

"Yeah, sure."

"Bye, Neku."

"See you tomorrow, I guess." Neku scratched his head sheepishly.

The orange-haired boy turned to walk away; he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, and Neku?"

He turned and looked at her. "Huh?"

"The time changed. Come by tomorrow at my house at two instead of nine. Cut you some slack?"

"Thanks, Shiki."

Neku walked home quietly. He glanced towards the sky for a moment. It looked like it was three-thirty now. Soon, his house appeared in his view. He fished out his keys and unlocked the door. Mumbling a greeting to his mother, he head upstairs. That is, before his mother stopped him.

"Oh, Neku!"

Stopping in mid step, he turned and peered at his mother from the railing of the stairs. His mother looked back at him with her hands on her hips.

"What, Mom?"

"You got something in the mail about an hour ago from one of your friends."

Neku narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Is it from Beat or 'Sanae'?"

His mother shook her head in response. "Nope."

"Who then?"

"Rhyme."

He blinked in disbelief. Since when was Beat's little sister sending him presents. "Rhyme?"

"Yes, it's in your room. Be sure to check it."

He pulled on one of his orange spikes in thought before answering. "Uh, sure."

His feet carried him to his room. He twisted the doorknob opened and sure enough, perched on his bed was a brown package. He walked over and threw himself on the bed. He glanced at the address. Again, sure enough, Rhyme's name was printed clearly on the package. He reached for it and examined it. What could Rhyme possibly give him. Sighing, he ripped the brown packaging off to see a white box. He cocked his head to the side in confusion. Clothes. Shrugging, Neku removed the lid of the box only to scramble away in fear with the lid.

"The hell?!"

In the box lie a set of women's blue lingerie. Not to mention, revealing. Neku's eye twitched in disturbance. This was definitely NOT Rhyme. When he lift the lid from the floor, it was then when he noticed a piece of paper stuck to it. He could already guess who gave this mocking gift to him on the tip of his tongue. He ripped the paper off the lid and scanned through it.

_Hello there, dear. I bought this for you right after you left the café. Hopefully, you could put it to good use. Hehe. It could benefit you as well as adding a little amusement for me. By the way, I chose blue because it was the same color as your eyes. However, if you don't like it, I could always go for pink instead. I like pink more. Feel free to care it with love._

_Love, Joshua._

_P.S. You know you want to try it._

Anger was a word that cannot describe how Neku felt. He did not know what to feel. He felt so many things. Embarrassed. Pissed. Confused. Betrayed. However, what he did know was that Joshua was a dead man.

_The next day….._

_Spray. Spray. Spray…._

"Oww, my eyes!" Neku yelped, squeezing his eyes shut and covering them with his hands. "Watch where you spray the damn thing! Why can't we just buy some wig?!"

Shiki's hands fluttered in panic as she set the bottle down. She apologized profusely before asking to see it. "Neku, remove your hands. You need to wash it out. We can't buy a wig because it's more expensive."

Neku removed his hands from his face shakily and opened his eyes for a mere second before shutting them again. Shiki sighed in frustration. Quietly, she demanded sternly to stop acting as a child and open his eyes. Opening his eyes halfway, Neku's face met a wet cloth.

"This should help. Just keep that on your eyes and it should wash off."

While he pressed the cloth on his face, Neku couldn't help but complain. "I should've went to Sota's to fix my hair not you."

Rolling her eyes at his childish comment, she put her hands on her hips. "Please, Neku. You know that asking Sota for help is against the rules."

After a few minutes, Neku removed the cloth from his face and wash his face for extra good measure at the sink. When he look up, his eyes widen in shock. He put one shaky hand on the mirror and blinked in disbelief. In the mirror was a "girl" with short and spiky orange hair in a tight long-sleeved shirt and casual jeans.

"Is that….me?"

Shiki looked into the mirror and back at Neku before grabbing the hair spray on the counter. Her eyes read the description of the bottle and nodded. She rubbed her chin in thought, pushing her glasses up. "Wow, this does really work."

She put the bottle down and reached for a dark hat lying on the hamper. She beckoned Neku towards the toilet. Sighing, he sat on top of the toilet seat and waited for Shiki to put the hat on him. To both their surprise, the hat slid on his head with ease. She didn't bother putting much make-up on Neku since they both came to a compromise that Neku would cooperate with her and the hairspray if he didn't have to put on the make-up. Taking a deep breath, Neku twisted the bathroom doorknob open and faced Eri.

Following her postures, Neku crossed his arms and tilted one of his legs back, looking past the camera in a placid manner. His eyes were blank without feeling making Eri partially mad yet happy. At least, Neku wasn't arguing with her anymore. Smiling, she walked over and helped him place his feet where she wanted them to be. Neku winced mentally at the angle of his foot, it was nearly twisted all the way to Sunday. It didn't help that he had boots with high heels on either. Was she doing this to torture him? Slowly, he inched his foot from the desired posture to allow himself some pleasure and ease. Unfortunately, Eri, you could say, an imitation of a hawk. It wasn't long before Neku heard her crowing once more.

"No, don't you dare move that foot, Neku Sakuraba! Lean back more! Relax a bit more to look natural! Come on already!"

Neku growled under his breath and struggled to follow her postures without complaint. Stupid Eri and her Spartan regime. One agonizing long hour later of dislocating his joints, Neku's painful torture finally ended. Shiki, standing in the back, giggled in amusement as Eri stomped towards Neku and hit him on the shoulder. She reprimanded him for being so difficult and stubborn. The brown-haired girl to see Neku's hand twitching for a slap but did not move. Poor Neku.

That night, Eri's words haunted Neku in his sleep, making him squirm in unease and anxiety. That woman.

_Also that night…._

Eri lazily crossed her legs and peered in the newspaper. "The brands changed."

"Eh?" Shiki looked up from her sewing when Mr. Mew's tail recently came loose. The thread weaved and tangle around her fingers as she fidget.

"Turns out….Lapin Angelique and Natural Puppy are the two top brands." Eri stated with a devious gleam in her eye. "Perfect timing too. You already got 'it' ready, right?"

"Yup. It's in the closet already." Shiki replied absent-mindly before untangling the thread from her fingers.

_The next day…._

Neku was speechless. He glared at the offending piece of thing. It was almost as offending as Joshua's little "gift." He knew this day would come but it was much worse than he thought. He turned to Shiki and Eri and threw them a look that asked, "Are you serious?"

They both nodded in unison. He stared at it as the "thing" glared right back at him. Gingerly, he picked the "thing" up by two fingers as if it was contaminated.

"You have got to be kidding me." Eri came over and patted his back in sympathy. "Don't worry, it'll be only us that see you. So, your pride would be okay. I'm sure Shiki would buy you some shio ramen after this."

"But-"

"Come on, Neku. It's just the first."

"But it's embarrassing!" Neku glanced anxiously around the room and pointed at the window. "Close that window, then. I cannot allow anyone to see me like this!"

The pink-haired girl glared at him and put her hands on her hips. "….Fine. Just put it on already."

"Why you-" Neku was getting angry now. Shiki hurriedly pushed Neku and covered his mouth before he could scream ballistics. She shoved him into the bathroom and sighed. She turned to her friend only to see him sulking on the bathroom seat.

"Why, Shiki, does it have to be this?"

She grasped both of his hands in an assuring manner. "Unfortunately, yes. You have to wear this dress."

Neku's head snapped up and glared at her. "But, tell me why does the dress have to be based off a freaking maid costume!"

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1. Don't ask. The first thing that popped into my head.

Err, so yeah. Neku is going to wear a dress that looks similar to a maid costume. Most likely, Eri chose Lapin Angelique over Natural Puppy. So yeah….Review please!


	5. Gay Boyfriend

Dun, dun, DUN!!! New chapter!

**Author's Rant:**

Oh, about the warning in chapter one of slight Joshua/Neku, screw that! There's not going to be slight Joshua/Neku but A LOT of Joshua/Neku since it's a kickass pairing.

For the third time, I watched the Kuroshitsuji episodes. Again. Ever heard of it? It's a kick-ass anime. I always fawn over when Ciel dresses up as a girl in episode four. He's one hell of a cute bishonen. When I thought of cross-dressing when writing this story, I immediately thought of that. Which is why there's a wig. I was debating if Neku should wear a wig but then decided that the wig will be used for the public display. XD. If you want a better idea of what dress Neku wears, which is extremely girly for humiliation, try watching the first episode of Princess Princess, another cross-dressing anime. The dress that Mikoto wears is the base idea. The image of Neku with flattened short hair to make him look like a girl looks pretty cool in my mind but when wearing the dress, his regular image makes his appearance so much better. Hehe….So yeah….

**So Sorry for Being Late!!! The lame excuses I have are of the following:**

1. My schedule just came more hectic.

2. I have two projects that I foolishly had procrastinated. I swear, I went blind after focusing on so many maps and atlas to find certain landmarks.

3. I had a small case of writer's block and took a WAY TOO long nap to sleep it off. (Tip: Dreaming of your story often helps you figure out some ideas since your brain makes the decisions for you.)

4. I was almost done with writing this shitty chapter and went to the bathroom. I have a little brother who _conveniently _learned a word, which we call, "delete and recycle bin" in computer class. Yes, he sneaked into my room and _deleted and emptied out my recycle bin_, destroying my hard work. I had to start all over again. Damn it…

Disclaimer: I don't own TWEWY.

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Life….was wonderful. Truly wonderful. It can't get any better than this. You have sadistic people as friends. Your idol couldn't do anything to solve your problem and roped someone else into this painful ordeal. That someone happens to be a patronizing bastard who decides to make you part of his act for his own personal pleasure. Yes, life was wonderful. Even though, you are standing in front of two girls, being ogled in a maid dress. Oh yeah….

"Aww, you just look so cute!" Eri squealed as she fingered the material of Neku's sluttish-erm, dress. Neku sulked angrily and glared at the two bitc-girls.

His dress was similar to the one at Princess K's but it had WAY more lace than usual. The outfit was black and was knee-long. And what's with the lacey sleeves? It's like ninety degrees outside for god's sake! Shiki's mom must've not bother with the broken air conditioner because Neku felt like he was in a damn oven. There was lace trims on the hem of the dress as well which itched his legs a bit. However, the dress wasn't the only thing that blew off half of his non-existent dignity away. A cross between boots and platform shoes occupied his, now, sore feet. Jesus, at this rate, his feet were gonna kill him! The black shoes made walking quite difficult but added more beauty to his appearance or so, Eri says. The purple choker for a necklace didn't make things better for him and made breathing difficult. When Neku thought it can't get any worse, Shiki took the liberty to pop a lace bonnet on him. Purple, lacey, made just for him-oh, just fuck you all.

"I hate you all…" Neku seethed venomously, clenching his fists together. He glared at them to intimidate them but with a dress on, it made scary…well, not scary. Rolling their eyes, Eri and Shiki pulled Neku over towards the platform-Wait, platform?! How did that get there? There wasn't one before! Neku sank into the lace in dread. Not only there were demons out to kill him, there was also a house to go with it.

Neku did anything in his current position to avoid his fate to the camera. Unfortunately, considering his helpless position, you could already assume that he could do almost nothing. He did something, though. He annoyed the heck out of the pink-haired designer who gritted her teeth in frustration and agitation as the cross-dresser whined every disturbing thing on him. Unfortunately, that was pretty much everything.

"This dress is too itchy."

"My feet hurt."

"My head itches."

"This choker is literally choking me."

"I need to take a piss." "I can't move my jaw."

"My fingers are tingling."

"I really need to go to the bat-"

That's when Eri snapped. "Oh, for god's sake, just shut up!"

For the first time in his life, Neku was truly frightened. He turned to Shiki helplessly but she was too occupied with the tail of her stuffed animal or, pretends to be. That girl. That betrayer. Yes, he was still sulking and holding a grudge against the two girls. One being the messenger from hell while the other being a furtive betrayer.

"Neku Sakuraba, it would help me immensely if you be silent." Eri said sweetly in pure venom. Unfortunately, Neku, being the stubborn person he is, did not notice the warning tone and of course, talked back. "Bite me." Big mistake.

"Of course, Neku. You know, part of your image does not strike me right. Should I've made you wear make-up?" she answered naively yet slyly. Neku paled and stiffened in horror. "Or should I take away your privilege to wear your boxers and make you wear some lingerie?" His eyes widened in dismay. For an extra good measure, she went back towards the closet and pulled out a small band, "Too bad you're wearing boxers otherwise this garter would look especially good on you."

"Done." Neku walked briskly, not caring about his sore feet anymore. His mouth turned into a tight and painful line.

As if he was a puppet, Eri controlled his actions easily. Neku shakily stepped on the platform. He could hear Eri whispered to Shiki, "Ugh, good things put to waste. Sorry, Shiki."

Wait a minute, Shiki knitted that- that, "thing?!"

"Thing," referring to the garter, struck Neku with more depressing and morbid urges. The orange-haired boy's eye twitched with disgust. He took a reluctant step forward until-_ding dong!_

Eri turned away from Neku and blinked for a second. "Oh, it must be the pizza man! I ordered pizza!"

Neku let out a relieved sigh and took a seat next Shiki. "Thank god…..My feet are killing me…"

"It'll all pay off, Neku. You get ramen, pizza, and the money. Now, be a good little boy and wait for Aunt Eri." Shiki joked, giggling at the growl Neku gave her. They waited for a couple minutes for the pink flash to appear. They waited. And waited….And waited….And waited-Neku stood up angrily. His flattened orange hair stuck to the back of his neck from perspiration from prolong time in the hot dress.

"What the hell? What's taking Eri so long?! It does not take twenty-five minutes to get pizza from a freaking pizza man!!" he complained indignant. "That girl…."

The glasses girl laughed nervously before putting a calming hand on Neku's shoulder. "Let's check then."

"Wait, in a dress."

"Neku, with that hairstyle on, what are the odds of a random pizza man recognizing you?"

"Uh…." Neku looked away for an answer. Shiki gave him a 'well?' look. She smiled triumphantly before pulling him towards the stairs. Neku and Shiki peeked from behind the wall to see Eri talking at the door with someone. The pizza man, perhaps. However, due to the laws of perspective, Neku couldn't see who Eri was talking too. All he knew was that the man had a cap on. Daring himself, he pretended to walk casually with Shiki and saw the cap of the man, shielding his eyes. The man was quite attractive, not that Neku was gay or anything. He couldn't see the man's eyes and it appeared that he had quite long hair. Tiptoeing so Eri or the man couldn't hear them, Neku made it to the other side and began to listen there. He leaned towards Eri's direction to listen and it appeared that they were talking about fashion.

"Oh my god, like, Lapin Angelique is the fad these days, isn't it?"

"Of course, Miss Eri. After all, the gothic style yells out a rebellious outlook while looking good all the while." the man replied in a cool yet Neku could hear a slight snarky tone. He leaned a little farther out of curiosity and stiffened when the man suddenly took off his cap and locked eyes on him for moment. His hair was luminescent and pale kind of like….

Neku stifled a gasp when a thought suddenly intruded his mind. The thought yelled, _Found you, my dear proxy…_

That…was Joshua?! His eyes widened in panic as he gather up the courage to see Joshua occasionally giving him glances with a slight smirk. Yep, that was Joshua alright. Except, he looked….older. One of him many forms, Neku guessed. However, through that panic, Neku felt a surge of outrage as he watched Joshua bid farewell to Eri finally, handing her the pizza. Before, Joshua was about to leave. He made a snobby comment as a parting gift to Neku.

"Hey, who's that girl in that stylish maid dress? Good use of the frills and lace." Joshua asked, a smirk faintly forming around his mouth. He pointed at Neku like he did with the gun from before, rendering Neku shocked into place. Neku gritted his teeth together. Damn it, he and his Composer powers.

"Huh?" Eri looked behind and saw Neku frozen in place. She laughed awkwardly. "That's one of my friends. Her name's, um.., Sora!"

"Hmm, cute name for a cute girl. Here's my number. Give it to her, would you?" Joshua smirked and wrote it down on a scrap of paper he pulled out from his pocket. He placed it in her hand. He gave Eri a gracious smile and left, giving a final short wave to Neku who, now unstuck, shook with fury. The dress-clad boy couldn't help but blush slightly for some reason.

He couldn't stomp due to his sore heels. Shiki could sense the ominous aura building around her friend but took it as a sign of distress of being in a dress.

A few minutes later, the designer came into the room. Eri clapped her hands to get his attention.

"Umm, ignore that." Eri handed him the piece of paper which Neku immediately tore apart.

"Okay, Neku! Let's get this show on the road!" she yelled out encouragingly. He grimaced in response. He took a deep intake of breath. One week more, Neku. You can do this. His hands and legs bended to match her poses as he entered her patronizing regime. Neku did his best not to show his disgust on his face. Behind Eri, Shiki smiled earnestly as Neku's face scrunched up at the difficult steps. Though he did not see, Eri and she secretly praised him behind their backs when they examined the pictures with their group of friends. Although his clumsiness was obviously seen when he tried to follow Eri's choreographing, the pictures showed no trace of it. His face remained placid, somewhat serious, yet natural. His movements seemed effortless, showing flexibility and grace. The clothes were also highlighted by his poses. It showed Eri's talent in both modeling and fashion. To put it in basic words, Neku was a natural…and he didn't even know it.

"Bend forward and put your hands on your thighs…like this." Eri demonstrated it before adding, "cock your head to make it look innocent."

"How can you be innocent when you're in a dress that looks like it was made for role-playing?" Neku frowned in confusion. "This dress always rise up when I bend."

"That's the point, stupid." Eri clicked her tongue as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She crossed her arms. "Don't worry, it only rises to the spot where your boxers is almost shown."

"That's the problem!"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed. "Neku, Neku, dear. Nobody will recognize you. Your hair is down and everyone who knows you will never know. I fully guarantee it. Your underwear won't be shown in the picture. If you don't like it, we'll change your boxers to lingerie."

"…Uh…no thanks." Neku stammered in defeat. For a moment, Eri sounded like Joshua, not that Neku wanted him to be there in Eri's place.

"Thought so." she answered with a smirk. "Now bend."

"Ugh." Neku grimaced before following her directions.

Two long grueling hours later, Neku finally was released from his godforsaken prison a.k.a the dress. He scratched his legs frantically. "Damn, that dress was so fricken' itchy. Never ever make me wear something that frilly again."

He threw the dress somewhere across his shoulder, hoping that it landed in the fireplace to burn in hell. He walked downstairs in his normal clothes and ate a slice of pizza. It wasn't very filling but Mrs. Misaki wanted to save half of the pizza for dinner.

"Hey, Neku…" Shiki asked hesitantly. Neku looked up from his now empty and dirty plate.

"What?"

"You know, I haven't visit Mr. H's for a while. So, Beat and Rhyme just called a few minutes ago, they want to meet at Mr. H's. We always meet at the Statue of Hachiko but this time, they want to meet somewhere else. They're pretty hungry. After all, we haven't seen him in a while." Shiki asked, looking away bashfully and clasping her pinkies together behind her back. "So, uh, wanna come? Eri and I promised to meet up with them at two."

Neku rubbed the back of his neck absent-mindly. "..Sure, whatever."

The glasses girl immediately lit up with glee. "Great! Rhyme and Beat will be happy to see you again!"

"Wait, Beat?" Oh shit. The orange-haired boy narrowed his eyes in distaste and scrunched his face. "Not with him. He'll laugh at me again." he whined, sounding like an immature four-year-old.

"Neku-"

"Shiki, I just wore a dress. It was more worse than I thought! Think of my pride. Think of my dignity! I need to go home to sleep this all out." Neku whined once more, clutching on the hem of Shiki's jacket.

Rolling her eyes and crossing her arms, Shiki shook her head. A smile tugged on her face before she pulled out Mr. Mew and started to role-play with it.

"Neku, you never change. Get serious." Shiki said in a childish voice as she moved Mr. Mew's arms, eager to cheer up Neku. In response, a smile tugged on his lips.

"Sure, whatever, Mr. Piggy." he said smugly, putting one hand on his hips, knowing was coming next. He didn't really want to go to WildKat since the Composer was probably there to embarrass him but maybe, just maybe, with Shiki, his visit might be a bit more pleasant.

"He's not a pig." she giggled. The two laughed in unison at the old joke before walking out of the room. Eri's head poked out from the opposite room and chirped. "Okay, you two ready to go? You are? Great! We could leave now!"

However, before they could step out of the door, Neku noticed a bag in Eri's hands. Suspicious, he pointed at it. "What is that?"

"Hmm? Oh, that? That's the dress." she said matter-of-factly. Neku raised an eyebrow pensively.

"And why are you bringing that?"

"For my friends who Shiki and I are visiting after stopping by at the café!"

Oh yeah, he completely forgot about that. Neku sighed in annoyance as his lightened mood was quickly damped. The edges of his smile quickly turned upside down.

The three leaved the house happily, skipping down through the streets. Well, at least, Eri and Shiki did for Neku was WAY too cool to skip. The two girls chatted freely while Neku just walked down the streets quietly. Concerned, Shiki whispered to the pink-haired girl.

"Hey, Neku was pretty happy a few minutes ago. What happened?" she whispered.

Eri shrugged nonchalantly and lied casually. "Oh, you know how he is. First, he's angry at this. Then, he's sad at that. Then, he goes happy. Really rare, though? After, he goes bipolar, screaming every obscenity in mankind. So, basically, he has a lot of mood swings. Haven't you notice?"

Shiki pondered for a moment and nodded. "Is it…normal to have random mood swings like that?"

Eri nodded and continued. "Of course. Pregnant women have mood swings. And I'm starting to really notice that Neku has mood swings like a pregnant woman."

The glasses girl laughed lightly at her best friend's comment. "I guess so."

The two didn't bother to hush their voices so Neku heard them loud and clear. His shoulders slumped in dismay.

Soon, a few minutes later, Cat Street began to appear with its cheerful yet empty café awaiting them. The bell on the door jingled, alerting Sanae, wherever he was of their presence.

"Hi, Beat. Hi, Rhyme." Shiki chirped cheerfully, waving a hand to the two siblings.

"Yo, Shiki. Hey there, Phones! 'Cept you don't have phones anymore! So, should I call you 'phone-less?' Or somethin?" Beat burst out into guffaws, earning a roll of the eyes from Neku. Beat, the dense asshole as usual.

"Hey, everyone!" Eri popped behind Neku and Shiki with a happy grin. Suddenly, almost like magic, Beat stopped laughing, sat up straight in his chair, and adjusted his hat.

"Hi, Eri." Beat's voice became unusually serious and calm. Rhyme pulled on the edge of her own hat as she muffled her giggles. Eri gave a short wave to everyone. Neku's eyes darted for the Composer; he was not here. Hiding, most likely. He shuddered before scooting closer to Shiki.

"So, how was things…." Rhyme trailed off, glancing around the room before gesturing to Eri. They immediately picked up her drift. "Going for you, Neku?"

Silently, he crossed his arms and his stoic blue eyes held signs of anguish but his voice did not hold any at all. "Great, Rhyme." he muttered before adding sarcastically, "Awesome."

Rhyme laughed lightly before reaching over to pat him on the shoulder sympathetically. However, almost expected, Beat burst out into hysterics. Again. He completely forgot what happened a couple days ago.

"Bwhahaha?! You like wearing girl clothes?! Neku's gay! Neku's gay! Neku's-OWW!" Beat crowed so loudly that the orange-haired boy thought that anyone within a ten-mile radius could hear it. Although Neku pitied Beat for his incredible density, it can get irritating. Really irritating. It was then when a vein popped and he threw a acrylic glass that he reached behind the counter at Beat. Eri giggled softly as Beat struggled to get his cool composure back and flushed deep crimson.

"For the last time, I'm," Neku noticed Beat overreacting again and opening his mouth again. Snatching a napkin from a nearby dispenser, he stuffed it into his friend's mouth. "for sure, not gay! Get that through your fat skull! Besides, what happen to the rule of questioning my sexuality? You know you lose if you yell out like that!"

Beat blinked dumbly before removing the napkin from his mouth with a knowing smirk. "Oh, I see now. You acting gay so you fool me into breaking one of the rules. Uh-huh, nice try, Phones. I ain't that stupid. From now on, I don't go yelling about it anymore! Nice try, hehe?"

Shiki laughed sheepishly as Neku's head sunk and his hand slapped his face. The orange-haired boy twitched his eye at the dumb boy but he realized that this could work at his advantage to get Beat to shut up. With that, he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Um, yeah…S-So, I was trying to trick you and all. But you found me out."

"Ha! Nobody beat me!" Beat burst out into loud guffaws once more before ending shortly once more because of Eri's presence. Neku searched for Sanae before seeing a glimpse of him in the storage room. Letting out an angry 'harrumph,' Neku turned his stool to the counter and waved his hand to get Sanae's attention who was in the storage room to sort out some stuff. However, Sanae did not notice him for a while before Beat hollered out, making him drop a heavy box in surprise.

"YO!" he boomed, making the windows shake at the frequency of his voice.

Neku winced at the sound of glass breaking in the box. Sorry, Mr. H. Sighing inwardly to himself, he picked up the box and headed out of the room to the counter.

"Uh, sorry 'bout that….Hey…" Beat apologized sheepishly, eyeing the broken remnants of a glass bowl in the opened box. Mr. H rubbed his neck in response.

"Don't need to. It was a gift from someone anyway. Anyway, nice to see you guys." Mr. H said casually but muttered under his breath. Neku could hear it. "Ugh, Boss is going to get so mad at me…"

Beat lightened up and slammed a hand on the counter as a sort of friendly gesture. "Nice to know! Got somethin' to eat here like curry?"

"Beat, this is a café. Not a curry place." Rhyme placed a hand on Beat's shoulder. Her older brother blinked once then twice for realization began to dawn on him.

"This is a café?"

Shiki giggled nervously and nodded. Beat eyed Eri who seemed to be trying to stifle her giggles. He shook his head furiously to get rid of an embarrassed blush. "I-I knew that!"

"Ugh…" Neku rolled his eyes and leaned against the counter. "Sorry about that, Mr. H."

"Hey, no need to, Neku. Someone…" Sanae's eyes grew weary. "Is going to get really mad, though."

Throwing a pitied look at the man, Neku crossed his arms. "Anyway, my friends and I wanted to stop by to eat and chat with you."

"So, I see."

Sanae's eyes grew dim from behind his shades but quickly lightened up. "Hey, Neku? Could ya do me a favor?"

"Shoot."

"Right now, I want to hook you guys with you cappuccinos and some biscuits. Get me some plates and cups from the storage room, would ya?" Sanae said casually before walking to the coffee machine and getting out a can from the cabinet.

"Sure." the orange-haired boy said immediately before heading into the dark room.

The stench of cardboard-yes, Neku smelled cardboard before-hit him almost immediately. Blue eyes blinked confusingly as he tried to read the smudged labels on the brown boxes. It was dark in here that Neku couldn't believe that Mr. H didn't have a light switch. Well, maybe it's because Mr. H is a fallen angel. Maybe, he could use some kind of power to light up the room without putting any money on his energy bills. His sweat dropped. Well, that explains how Mr. H saves money, right? The seemingly small storage room turned out to be one hell of a maze with shelves everywhere. The darkness definitely did not help him. Okay, so he wasn't really good with directions but….screw that! He squinted his eyes to read the boxes' labels. Eh….let's see….

Forks?

Spoons?

Cappuccino mixes?

Instant Pancake mix?

Biscuits?

Tea bags?

Coffee cans?

Ribbons? Okay…

Sheet Music for piano? What's that doing here?

Sushi trays? Mr. H makes sushi.

Octopus tentacles? For sushi?

Cell Phone Batteries? Joshua?

Toiletries?

First aid kits?

Pliers?

Fertilizer?!

Neku scratched his head. The storage room seemed to have everything but plates or cups. What the hell?!

He blindly made his way through the storage shelves and nearly tripped over a….box? A barely audible thump was heard when he fell. His face was parallel to a box that clearly screamed, "PLATES" in neon colors. Ugh, his eyes hurt. He groaned and stood up to pick up the box. He looked straight to see a table with some half-eaten cookies and dark colored couch with a lump going up and down on it. He tilted his head in confusion as he went closer out of curiosity. When he got closer, he saw a mane of grayish and whitish hair, indicating that it was Joshua, taking his beauty sleep. Neku narrowed his eyes in fury at the memory from before. His hand twitched for a punch but he decided against it, knowing that Joshua was going to act innocent. Instead, he settle his mind for more pleasant thoughts like simple pranks. Oh how he wished for a marker right now. He shoved his hands in his pockets and blinked. He pulled his hand out of his pocket and a marker was in his hand. When did he had a marker in his pocket?

He found himself shrugging the thought away and walking towards the pale boy. His hands uncapped the marker and went towards Joshua. Suddenly, the Composer's hand shot out from under the covers and gripped on Neku's wrist tightly. Neku let out a short yelp before trying to pull away. However, due to the Composer's power, Joshua did not budge and had an iron grip. Neku tried to pry away the Composer's fingers but failed without avail. With a sweep of his hand, Joshua pulled Neku towards the couch. Neku's breath hitched when he fell on the couch with Joshua.

"Ugh…Joshua!" he hissed but instead, the Composer pulled Neku towards him and nuzzled in his neck in a somewhat loving way. What dream is he having?! Joshua sighed contently and wrapped his arms around the now shaking boy's waist. Oh god, someone save him. Minutes became long before Sanae's voice was heard.

"Phones? You in there?" Sanae opened the door to the storage room and walked inside. Neku could see the light of the door in front of the couch. Since when was there another door?

"Neku? You in there?" Shiki. Oh shoot.

"Phones, how long does it take you to find-" Sanae's voice suddenly stopped and his eyes stared at a now cold Neku with Shiki right behind him. Shiki couldn't help but release some other thoughts in her head and blushed heavily at the sight.

"Maybe…we should leave them alone, Mr. H?"

Then, Neku died. Well, at least, he wish he did to make himself invisible. Because now, something was added to his list of burdens. Shiki Misaki now officially thinks that he, Neku Sakuraba, is gay.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

So, yeah…I can't think of a better unisex name than Sora. Go Kingdom Hearts, woohoo. So, review please!


	6. Intermission

Uh….this could be count as an intermission, I guess?

WARNING: Not a chapter. Intermission. So, I hope that this crappy bad-humored intermission can at least make you laugh at its crappiness or smile. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Neku. Joshua does. I don't own Joshua. Joshua works for all of Shibuya. I don't own Shibuya either. Shibuya is owned by Square Enix and Jupiter. I don't own KH or FF or Saw either.

/

_Newsroom_

"Hey, everyone! It's TWEWY!" said some announcer guy in the background before showing five kids sitting behind a big desk as if they were about to give a news report, which they were going to. A brown-haired girl with glasses smiled amiably toward the news camera.

"T!"

"W" shouted a pale-haired boy.

"E." a petite blond girl said softly but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"N!" hollered an already boisterous blond boy. Everyone looked at him. "What?"

"It's W, you idiot." hissed the orange-haired boy. The blond boy blinked once then twice before shouting, "Oh! W!"

"Y." muttered an apparently bored boy, rolling his eyes at the dumb friend beside him.

"TWEWY!" the five shouted out.

"Woohoo." the orange-haired boy said sarcastically, twirling a lazy finger. The brown-haired girl laughed sheepishly before pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Well…Hi, I'm Shiki Misaki." she said bashfully, blushing deeply.

"I'm Yoshiya Kiryuu but Mother and Father call me Joshua. Heh, please to make your acquaintance." greeted the pale-haired boy, throwing a coy smirk to the camera and twirling a lock of his hair.

"This isn't a dating show, Josh." the orange-haired boy muttered in an annoyed manner, leaning on one hand. Joshua threw a snobby smile at the boy.

"You're just jealous that I'm giving people more attention than you today. Don't worry I'll make it up to you tonight, Ne-ku…" Joshua drawled before ending in a suggestive tone, looking straight into the orange-haired boy's eyes. The boy named "Neku" flinched and stiffened, inching away from the creepy boy.

"Y-You wish…." Neku stuttered disgusted, twitching his eye.

"Anyway….Hi! I'm Rhyme. It's a pleasure to meet you all!" the small blond girl smiled sincerely before waving at the camera.

"YO! I'm Beat! I be your host today on TWEWY! Booyah!" the boisterous blond punched the air lively. Neku groaned and stuffed a nearby index card in the boy's mouth.

"Hey, I'm Neku…Shiki was the one who bribed me to host here…." Neku droned, pointing his thumb at the girl who now became in denial.

"Uh, I-I don't know what you're talking about! Yeah, hahaha!" Shiki denied sheepishly. Neku rolled his eyes at the poor lie cover-up.

"Anyway, we have some issues that we could discuss about! Take it away, Neku!" Rhyme chimed in, trying to draw attention from her embarrassed friend. Neku picked up a paper.

"Sure…Let's see…..Our boss/authoress/director, Nezumi's Cheese, apologizes for the inconvenience. She has many reasons a.k.a sad excuses why it took even more longer to get chapters out. First, she says that she officially hates school because of their insane crapload of projects. Second, after many hours of yelling, she reluctantly confesses that her brain has shut down and she can not function anymore for awhile. Third, she also confessed that she's been feeling tired lately and can not feel the mood of writing or as I like to call it, the magical word that sums it all up as 'lazy.' She apologizes for this inconvenience and would like to announce that the most chapters would come in one month….Yes, a break from this hellish schedule…." Neku let out a sigh of relief. A pregnant pause soon followed.

"Eh….We'll go onto the next part of the report." Shiki said, shuffling her papers around after the awkward silence.

0.o.0.o.0.

_And a special broadcast from our favorite stuffed animal…._

"We have a special guest with us today. He is a very smart person. He earned many credentials and has a Master's degree in…..Psychology therapy. He is the one and only Professor Mew!" announced Shiki before showing an empty classroom with a stuffed cat with a professor's hat on its head on a desk. The stuffed animal waved an arm at the camera.

"Eh…..the only problem is that Professor Mew can't speak. However, I can translate his movements but…..the authoress wanted to sub Professor Mew's movements herself. Why? I do not know. Subtitles will be in italics. Well, enough talking, I present Professor Mew….."

The black cat sat silently before making some gestures with his arms. _Greetings, everyone. _

The black cat blinked once before looking happy. _I am a professor in psychological therapy. So, my specialty is to understand others to help them. Unfortunately, I am mute so I can't help them unless they understand me. My dear friend, Shiki, invited me on this show to help me. _

The black cat nodded towards Shiki.

"Eh, it was nothing." Shiki said, embarrassed. Mr. Mew once again turned to the camera.

_You might have saw me before when I accompanied Shiki through the first week. However, combat is not my only talents. I'm also very smart. I can define anything from my head. My head is not filled with stuffing but instead, filled with knowledge!_

"Even people?" the brown-haired girl questioned. The stuffed animal nodded solemnly.

_Yes, would you like me to define someone?_

"Yes. Nezumi's Cheese told me to ask you about…." Shiki trailed off to look at her note cards. "Neku."

Mr. Mew crossed his arms and looked at the ground in thought. _Neku Sakuraba. Yes, I'll be able to analyze him._

"Please, go right ahead."

Mr. Mew lifted his arm to his face as if to cough to start. _Neku Sakuraba. An orange-haired spiky fifteen year old boy. An almost perfect clone of the all-famous Square Enix hero, Sora, from Kingdom Hearts. However, resembalance stops there. His personality is the polar opposite of the happy hero of Kingdom Hearts. He is an emo ball of fluff. He is also bipolar, mean, pessimistic and a social outcast who almost no one likes. He is the actual PIG of the group. He probably also plays Final Fantasy 7 a lot because he acts a whole lot like the main character. To put it this way, he is a Cloud-wannabe._

The mocked boy twitched his eye in disturbance and began to wring his script as if it was the wretched stuffed animal's neck. That little demon…Joshua, knowing exactly what Neku was thinking, giggled in amusement.

_I would like to share more facts about this moronic bastard but to be courteous to both the time and Neku, I would like to wrap it up with one final comment._ Mr. Mew crossed his legs, gazing up at the clock.

"Please, do….go ahead." Shiki said hesitantly, a bit surprised at her stuffed animal's secret behavior.

_To put Neku in the most simple of definitions, this is what I have to say…._ Mr. Mew turned the camera and raised a fist. _You will never be the man your mother was. _

Snap! Neku's hands trembled and bled as the poor pencil trying to sustain the pressure from the raging hands finally broke. Neku slammed his hands on the news desk. "That little damn demon! Get back here so I could wring your sorry-fat ass neck!"

He shot up and began stomping towards the interview room until Rhyme and Beat came to restrain him.

"Dude, chill! Let it go!" Beat shouted, before getting elbowed in the face. Rhyme was busy struggling to hold Neku by grabbing on his waist.

"Please, Neku. Do you realize what kind of situation that we're in?" Rhyme pleaded sorrowfully but her pleas went ignored. Neku just growled ferociously in response. Joshua sighed and shrugged his shoulders calmly before striding by to the angry boy.

"Neku, this camera is portraying live. Everyone sees you. Everyone sees you, making that repulsive look on your pretty face. So, be a dear and be courteous. Be serene, be happy, and act happy. You'll ruin your pretty image with your anger."

"Shut your damn trap!" Neku snapped and continued to try to break out of Rhyme's and Beat's grip.

Shiki came nervously into the camera. "Uh, we are experiencing some, uh, psychological difficulties. Here is a brief intermission."

0.o.0.o.0.

_IT'S AWESOME._

_IT'S 'S TOTALLY NOT USELESS!_

A black-haired man in a business suit appeared and waved at the screen. "Hey, it's me! Mick! Boy, do I have a new product for you! It's called the 'Picture Modifier!' "

It was almost instant when an ugly complicated yellow machine appeared on the creepishly rainbow-colored screen, dancing. Dancing? Yes, it was an ugly yellow dancing machine with little legs which look like those cheap body parts you see in those..What was that potato head called? Oh yeah, Mr. Potato Head! The legs look exactly like his arms except with…red high stiletto heels. Weird…

"Stole a cookie from the cookie jar but want to frame your annoying sister for it? Just take a picture of yourself and let the Picture Modifier do all the work!" The picture showed a little grubby eight-year-old reaching in the cookie jar.

"This is before." Mick gestured to the original eight-year-old boy. He smiled gleefully. "And this is after.

A picture appeared to show a girl, about six, appearing instead of a boy. Mick smiled and continued.

"Here are some of our happy customers!"

The screen warped into a very bored but good-looking blond boy. About eighteen or nineteen. The blond droned in a very bored voice. "Yes, F this machine. F this to the high heavens. The Picture Modifier is so great. Yay, woohoo."

The screen went back to Mick as he straightened his business suit and tie then began talking again. "This is the power of the Picture Modifier! That's not all! For twenty-two payments of 19.99, you get an autographed picture of ME and my handsome face!"

The dancing ugly machine appeared again. "So, call this number right now! 111-222-3434! I repeat, 111-222-3434! Right now!

Suddenly, the screen reeled into the credit card screen. Mick's voice immediately became unusually fast.

"Please, please, PLEASE! So, call this number in the next five seconds! If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please don't sue me! I already have enough screaming angry people on my toes enough too! And, PLEASE! Don't call this number if you want to hook up with me, I already have to suffer from the looks of weird people when I worked at the Shadow Ramen!" the man whimpered in fear. "Anyway…we accept credit card or cash as long as we get the proper amount of money in some way. Thank you."

He bowed and ran off the screen. And that was that.

/

Umm yeah. So…..review!


	7. It's Short

Here's the next new chapter. I had lost my motivation. And my pills. Enlighten me. Please review in some sort of way that would give me a jumpstart.

Disclaimer: I don't own TWEWY.

* * *

Was this really necessary? What had he, Neku Sakuraba, deserved this? Why did Lady Luck hate him so much that she would even send him the misfortune to even send Shiki seeing something that might change her view of him forever?!

Neku watched helplessly and sorrowfully as Shiki's eyes started to dilate in shock. Her body started hyperventilating before she stuttered out an apology and shut the door. It only took three seconds for Neku to process everything before realizing that he was dead meat.

Joshua yawned drowsily before curling up towards Neku contently. The orange-haired boy narrowed his eyes before pushing the Composer off as if the boy was the plague himself.

"G'off me!" Neku pushed himself on the ground and scoot away from the Composer, terrified. Joshua drowsily rubbed his violet-colored eyes before Neku came into focus.

"When did you get here, Neku?" he drawled lazily, as he noticed the boy for the first time. Or was it?

Although it was probably not the most wisest thing to say, Neku was too shocked and angry to think properly for a witty response. This is what he did:

"Rapist! You freaking molest me in your sleep!" Neku hissed out loud, pointing an offensive finger at the boy.

As expected, Joshua scratched and cocked his head innocently. "Whatever are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about, Josh!"

"Hmm…let's see…I remember having the most fantastic beauty sleep ever before I found myself oh-so, how shall I put this…" Joshua paused dramatically for effect. "Rudely, inconsiderately, bluntly, violently pushed in the chest. I think it was actually your fault for crawling up to sleep me. If you want to ask anyone, you were the one 'molesting' me. Honestly, I expected better from you."

Neku could only twitch his eye in anger as he started to nearly shout every obscenity in mankind. Wasn't he such a happy Chihuahua-er, person?

"You're quite a little jumpy, aren't you, dear? Why are you so angry? Was it because you didn't get what you want? I can easily change that if you want." the Composer's voice dropped to a more sultry tone, making Neku blush ten-fold. Joshua smirked as the whole aura changed from 'irate and annoyed' to 'I hope you jump off a cliff and die in hell.'

"W-why you-" Neku was red from embarrassment and anger. He cursed at himself for his damn stuttering. Joshua was damn EVIL. Not that he just realized it, but he seriously was just…ugh….he can't even describe it. However, there was one damn fact that Neku was sure. He did not know why but he was sure that Lady Luck was out to get him with her damn soldiers. Why else was she smacking his ass with her damn spear-sword thingy wicked hard? Why did everyone seem to be against him? Thanks to an all too familiar pale-haired boy who wants to get in his pants, even Shiki now is against him. Not that Neku knows about Shiki's reaction but he predicts it. Damn…he really had to stop saying that word. He was REALLY happy right now.

Joshua stood up from the couch and stretched contently. The pale-haired boy's eyebrows suddenly furrowed in a frown and thought.

"Hmm….it seems Mr. H broke an expensive artifact about ten minutes ago. Ugh," Joshua slapped his forehead in agitation. "I was planning on selling it to the Composer at the city next door. Oh well….that could explain why he send you up in this cold dismal place that no one likes. He hoped that my wrath would reduce immensely so he wouldn't have someone yelling and suing him." Joshua let out a sigh and went back in his deep thinking stance. "Well, as much as I hate to admit it, the chance of feeling you up that he offered was too good to make me angry at him." His eyes darted at a dumbfounded Neku. "Not that I was feeling you up otherwise."

New theory. EVERYONE was out to get him. Why, even Mr. H, was willing to sacrifice him to the hungry wolf who looked at him like he wanted to eat him? Neku could almost swear that he was going more crazy and paranoid every second now. The funny thing was, this whole incident started over a bet that some stupid idiot proposed. Well, this was like dominoes, wasn't it?

"Oh, Neku. That dress you wore was quite cute. I had to say, Eri is quite skilled as a fashion designer for a human. If she had that spunk in making creative missions for the Game, she would've easily gotten my vote for being Game Master. Probably, even more than Sho Minamimoto."

"…Shut up." answered the other boy, beet red.

"Where are you going to wear it again?"

"When hell freezes over. As soon as I get my hands on it-"

"You'll wear it and give me a lap dance?"

Slap. "AS SOON AS I GET MY HANDS ON IT, I will burn it and feed the ashes to my neighbor's squealing and annoying poodle."

"You slap like a girl and a squealing poodle? Is that even possible?"

"Nothing is impossible." Neku muttered in response.

"Does that mean that you dressing up as a girl is also possible?"

"…..Fuck you."

"Love you too." the boy replied sweetly.

Neku flipped Joshua off and scoop the box of plates before slamming it down onto the floor. Hard. Oh, the sounds of breaking plates have never sound so joyous… A bit satisfied and pissed, the orange-haired boy forced open the storage door open, surprising many except Shiki who was still shaking, mildly disturbed. Sanae threw a soft smile and waved stiffly.

"H-Hey, Neku."

Neku ignored him and sat himself down on a nearby stool. He started to pout and sulk like an upset child.

"Yo! Where the hell were you?" Beat slammed his fists on the counter angrily before shoving a biscuit in his mouth. Ignoring him, Neku sighed as his brow furrowed together in thought.

"Something wrong, Neku?" Rhyme asked concerned before putting a hand on Neku's shoulder. The boy just shrunk away from the pitying hand quietly.

The next day….

There was a saying he remembered that really proved right today. It went something like this: "If you think it can't get any worse, you must've been a spoiled brat who lacked in the imagination department."

Dear God. The orange-haired boy stood there dumbfounded for a minute before pinching himself to see if it was a really bad dream. Of course, life doesn't like him either so it was real.

"….What. Did. You. Just. Say?!"

Shiki smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder. "Well, since you're gay and all, this might work to both of our advantages. You could already find a boy to date and be around for the last day which is going to come in about two days. Thus, you could get Beat off your case without him even knowing it. And, this spares Eri the time to find a proper boy model to go with you in picture posing."

Neku just stared blankly.

"Neku?"

His eyes didn't show anger or terror or anything. Just blank. A pregnant silence passed between them before he opened his mouth.

"Kill me." he whispered. Shiki laughed.

"Aww, no need to be shy. After all, you-Oh my god! Neku Sakuraba, you are not going to shut me off with your emo urges!" Shiki yelled, shaking Neku who now was attempting to sink his head in his collar like a sad turtle.

"Kill me." he whispered softly.

"You don't have to be like that. You know I can't do that. Besides, I think-"

"Oh, for god's sake, I'm not gay!! Damn it. The guy who was snogging me in his sleep was the one who was gay!! I hate him!" Neku yelled out.

"You sure about that? I mean you stayed there for a long-" Eri piped in.

"I HATE HIM!! I WANT TO SHOOT HIM MULTIPLE TIMES, TOSS HIS BODY OFF A CLIFF, AND SKEWER HIS FUCKING BODY HIS MULTIPLE WITH A TEN-FOOT POLE!!!" Neku screamed on top of his lungs, rendering both girls speechless. At least, for about twenty seconds.

Shiki reached to embrace him. "Aww, did you get into a fight with your boyfriend?"

"Shiki…why are you like this?" Neku shook violently with disbelief.

"Maybe, I saw you so happy with him. You look good with…what was his name again? Oh yeah, Joshua. You might not know this, but you were screaming pretty loudly in the storage room. Beat is too dull to hear. Mr. H could hear you loud and clear. Rhyme is too innocent to know anything. But, Eri and I got the picture. Loud and clear. You even called him, 'Josh.' Is that some sort of pet name?"

With each sentence that Shiki oh-so innocently said, Eri couldn't help but giggle. Neku seemed to turn redder at each statement, knowing that it was all too true.

"S-Shut up." He looked away in embarrassment. He knew that Shiki was truly understanding but to see her like this was extremely distressing. The brown-haired girl suddenly looked placid.

"And to think, falling in love with the person who killed you. That's a shock."

"Shut up, Shiki."

"Anyway, let's get this show on the road! This is what I have planned!" Eri dumped a planner overfilled with tabs in front of Neku. She opened it up to the date and explained each task. "Okay today, we're going with the usual. Casual. Tomorrow, originally I planned for you to wear a winter dress but I decided to try something different. I want you to model with your boyfriend. Shiki showed me a picture of him and I have to admit, despite his girlish features; he's very good-looking."

"Wait a minute, what?!" Neku gasped in disbelief. Even though he did not like wearing dresses, donning a stupid rag was so much BETTER than posing with the gay bastard. Ignoring him, Eri went babbling on about her plans.

"So, after that. The last day, I specially prepared you to wear another dress. So, yeah…" Eri trailed off.

"Hey, wait a minute-"

"We're wasting time here, chop, chop!" Eri clapped her hands before dragging a yelling Neku into the bathroom. Shiki just smiled cheerily as the screams of bloody murder emanate from the bathroom. About fifteen minutes later, Neku came out sulking once more. A navy blue( Man, Eri must've some fetish for the color blue…) striped hood with short-shorts. Oh dear god.

"Alright, all ready?"

"Sure…." Neku drawled angrily and sarcastically, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Okay, bend over."

"Excuse me? What am I, a slut?"

"An innocent one?"

"I hate you."

Two hours later….

It was then when Neku found out that breathing was a privilege not granted when he rubbed his legs in mild pain. It took him nearly forty-five minutes taking the damn shorts off. Dear god, how do those girls walk in those things when their blood circulation was cut off in their legs.

Shiki had to laugh when Neku scowled and glared at the short-shorts. The brown-haired girl waved good-bye to her best friend before treating Neku for ramen. One hour later, wiping his mouth with a napkin, Neku and Shiki left the shop. The walk back home was quiet until the glasses girl shattered the silence.

"You know, I liked you before. You gave me confidence to be myself." she commented, blushing and holding Mr. Mew in her arms tighter.

Neku's face went slightly red as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I liked you too. Even now, I think."

Shiki stiffened and stopped. "What?" She always knew that Neku was a really good actor at hiding his emotions but to like her was….kind of off? Sure, she was his entrance fee but she didn't really think that he held romantic affections for her.

"Even though you're…evil sometimes, I would go out with you if you gave me the chance. Part of me wants to be with you all the time."

"Neku, I-"

Neku held both of her shoulders. "Shiki, you're the only one I could stand being with."

Shiki's face drooped in sadness before shrugging off Neku's shoulders. "I love you too, Neku but I only care for you as a brother. You do too without even knowing it."

"If this is about Josh, I'm not-"

Shiki frowned and looked at him. "You like him, Neku Sakuraba. Funny how it seems, I guess, close friends can see things that others can't."

"I hate that bastard."

"I'm sure you do. Which is why there's something called, 'lover's quarrel.'"

"Shiki…" Neku threw his arms in the air, exasperated. The brown-haired girl smiled at him and patted his cheek.

"You'll thank me later. I think I now see why you hide your emotions. You're emotionally broken from being too lonely."

"That's not true-"

"Yes it is, Neku. You and I are similar but very different at the same time. You need someone who could understand what you're feeling. Someone who you could compare to. But, that 'someone' isn't me. I saw how you broke down at Joshua's betrayal. You would never break down like that for me. Instead, you would go angry and try to find the person who made me betray you. You act like you were heartbroken at the time of truth with Joshua." "That was…" Neku was at loss for words. He stared at Shiki for a short while. "That was just-"

"A declaration of admitting love to me, right dear?" an all-too familiar voice piped in.

"Oh my god!" Neku jumped in surprise before glaring at the pale boy. "What the hell are you doing here, Josh?!"

"Oh, just taking a little stroll…" Joshua drawled lazily, rocking back lazily.

"Oh, Joshua!" Shiki exclaimed in surprise before smiling at him. "How are you?"

"How long have you been eavesdropping on us?" Neku narrowed his eyes.

"Long enough to know that you love me." the Composer shot back in a snarky tone, ignoring the girl. Neku looked away to hide his blush.

"That was all just rubbish that went to your head. If you were smart, you would leave us alone. So go the hell away and jump off a cliff already."

"If I was smart, I would've already notice that you're in love with me. Not that I knew that you weren't." Joshua crossed his arms, smirking and earning a laugh from Shiki.

"See? I was right, Neku!" Shiki beamed, naïve of what was to happen next. "Oh, by the way, Joshua? I was wondering...Could you, um, model with us? If it's alright with you..."

"Of course, I'll be happy and honored to help you." the Composer smiled gleefully, sending shivers down Neku's spine.

"You don't need to, Josh. I'm quite HAPPY modeling." Neku deadpanned with his eye twitching in disturbance.

"Oh, no, I do want to do this, Neku." Joshua playfully nudged his shoulder. Neku just glared at him.

"If you were smart, you would decline the offer right now and die in a ditch already. Don't you have…some new Player to torture?"

"No…because I only love you, Neku!" Joshua then proceeded to glomp the poor boy.

"Ahh! Get off of me!" Neku struggled before pushing the over affectionate boy off. Joshua had a sad look on his face before a devious smirk spread across his face.

"If I was smart, I would've taken control of your feelings for me and do this,"

"Wha-Mmph!" Neku blinked in disbelief as a pair of soft lips covered his own. Shiki turned immediately red.

"O-Oh my…" she trailed off as she stared at the scene.

Neku's mind instantly shut down at the moment. He didn't even know when Joshua stopped kissing him and smirked at him in triumph. But he did know one thing. God help him.

* * *

So...review! Please, otherwise, my muse will go down even more!


	8. Your Mom Thinks You're Gay

Hey, you all! A new chapter is up and running! Well, I am anyway. Thanks for all your moral support! It was greatly appreciated! So, now, all of you, have some belated Christmas cookies that I miraculously haven't eat it yet.

Disclaimer: Well, I don't think anyone of you are stupid enough to sue a person who was just bored with her life to write a fanfic. However, like my cousin always says, "There's always someone in the world who's stupid enough to mess things up. Just hope that it isn't you or the person next to you. You might find a horde angry fluffy bunnies outside waiting for you." So, anyone who's calling a lawyer right now to sue me, I hope you get mauled by angry fluffy white bunnies. I don't own TWEWY at all.

* * *

Mr. Mew's Psychology Therapy

The black stuffed animal sat properly and straight on the desk and made a gesture with his hands. _Hello again. Before we start off this chapter, the authoress has something grim to announce. Someone close has died….This someone….had a raging battle with someone else and ultimately died as of the last chapter. This person was especially close to our beloved emo character, Neku. This someone was known to be courageous, wise, and powerful in changing the orange-haired boy's life. This person was known as…Neku's sanity. Neku's sanity had been powerful before it was struck with a powerful illness when Neku first went into the UG and started dying from then on. Joshua's shattering of Neku's trust also help sped up its deterioration. With the tragedies of Neku's ill fortune with Eri and Shiki, his sanity turned for the worst. Neku's sanity tried feebly to survive but his end was inevitable. He died as of Chapter 6 in one of the most painful ways ever. We were there to hold Neku's sanity close in his final moments…The authoress asks for a few moments of silence for this brave sanity embodiment…..Thank you._

Mr. Mew bend his head slightly in respect before looking up once more. _May Neku's sanity find a happy place in heaven soon._

0.o.0.o.0.

Neku blinked once then twice. He wasn't sure what happened but he did know that he was seriously considering going to a mental asylum. Okay, rewind. The last words he heard were, "If I was smart, I would've taken control of your feelings and do this." Then…..Oh god….What. Just. Happened?!

"Neku? Hello?" Joshua waved a hand in front of the shocked boy's face.

"Are you-Oh my god, Neku, get a hold of yourself!" Shiki panicked as Neku's eyes rolled back. His legs started to collapse as well. If it weren't for Joshua, Neku would've suffered from brain damage for hitting his head on the street.

Joshua struggled a bit with the sudden weight on his arm before his other arm came in to help support Neku's weight. He wasn't really the physical type unfortunately. Luckily, Shiki rushed to his aid and both of them threw Neku's arms over their shoulders.

"We should get him back to Mr. H's for sure." the brown-haired girl said urgently.

"Sanae? Why? He's on the other side of Shibuya?" The Composer cocked a questioning eyebrow.

"I don't think I want Mrs. Sakuraba to have a heart attack after seeing her son knocked out." Shiki commented dryly, slightly shuddering at the memory of what happened after the Game.

_FLASHBACK!!! Lol._

Mrs. Sakuraba, for the last three weeks, was an anxious woman. With her son's disappearance, her cheerful and chipper disposition has disappeared as well. Many knew about her son's missing status and tried comforting her, saying he'll come back soon. However, she screamed and threw everyone's pity back in their face. You could say she wasn't herself. Ever since Neku's father abandoned them for another woman, Mrs. Sakuraba worked for Neku's well-being. The only one who understood her pain was probably Mrs. Misaki, a woman who she met at the grocery store whose daughter landed in coma from an accident.

Now, Mrs. Sakuraba was currently tapping her fingers on the table at home, praying that Neku would come home soon. Her mind suddenly filled with the thoughts of her son being killed, or kidnapped, or-

The door opened, revealing a surly boy, a brown-haired girl, a pixie-like girl, and a skate-board riding boy. Mrs. Sakuraba's eyes widen in disbelief and excitement. The boy spared one glance towards the woman with a crooked smile. "I'm home."

With that, he walked past her. "These are my friends, Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme. Guys, meet Mom. Greetings done, come on now. My room's up here."

"Uh, good day, Mrs. Sakuraba." the brown-haired girl stuttered. Mrs. Sakuraba started to hyperventilate. Her son…he was really back…in the flesh….Oh…my…..god…!!!!!

"NEKU!!!" Her usual strength returned as she rushed after her son and smothered him into her chest.

"Mmph! Mom, I can't breathe!" Neku's muffled voice sounded out. Tears immediately build up around her eyes.

"It really is you! Where were you all this time?!" she cried out in both relief and anger.

"A long picnic with my friends." Neku said dismissively, giving his mom a small smile of happiness and uneasiness.

Mrs. Sakuraba's breath hitched in shock. Did Neku just say the word, "friend?" Oh my god, the world IS coming to an end!

"Uh, your mom aight, Phones?" the skateboarding boy asked, seeing how pale she has gotten. Her blue eyes dilated several times before she started rocking back and forth. Suddenly, she fainted. Just like that. The four people stared at Mrs. Sakuraba before Shiki spoke out in a tiny voice.

"You killed your mom by giving her the heart attack of her life."

Neku rolled his eyes. "She was always such a drama queen. Leave her be. She'll recover some time around.

_FLASHBACK END_

"Besides, what are we supposed to tell her if she asks about what happened to Neku? I'm pretty sure Neku hasn't told anything about your relationship with him." Shiki asked in concern.

Joshua shrugged his shoulders and smirked.

"He fainted out of happiness and love." he answered dismissively. "I'll have you know that I'm a wonderful actor and persuasive person."

Shiki looked at him then at Neku before sighing and nodding. "Fine, we leave for Neku's house." Her eyes darken with worry. "However, I'm worried of how Neku's mother might react though."

"We lie, then?" Joshua send her a look as if, daring her to challenge his logic.

"It probably would be better." Shiki said, looking downwards and ignoring Joshua's challenging look.

Taken back for a second, Joshua sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so…"

The two managed to carry Neku back to his house. Shiki struggled to press the doorbell with half of Neku's weight on her shoulder.

"Ding dong." rang out through the house. Shiki and Joshua stood outside patiently for a moment before the door open, revealing a pretty woman looking at them in surprise.

"Hello, Mrs. Sakuraba." Shiki greeted sheepishly. Neku's mother looked at Shiki with a kind smile for a moment before her eyes widen with concern.

"Please, come in!" she hurried them in before she took Neku herself.

"What happened to him?" she asked them, or Shiki most importantly. The brown-haired girl opened her mouth to speak but the Composer beat her to it.

"Well, these two were at my house actually. We were playing a little game." Joshua's face grew dark. Shiki eyed him suspiciously.

"What kind of game?" Mrs. Sakuraba asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh, a simple game of hide-and-seek. He went to hide in my room's closet. When I found him, I guess I surprised him a little bit too much because he screamed and hit his pretty head against the wood interior of the closet. He knocked himself out accidentally unfortunately." The pale-haired boy grew apologetic. "I'm truly sorry, Mrs. Sakuraba. I'm sorry for knocking your son out. It's my fault."

"I see…." Mrs. Sakuraba's eyes looked at him suspiciously but she calmed. "Aren't you too old to be playing that game, though?"

"Oh, please. You're never too old to play an innocent game of hide-and-seek. Just like how you can never get too old to go out and shoot a random person in the street." Joshua waved his hand dismissively, smiling sweetly.

"I guess you're right. You're never too old to- wait, what did you say?"

"Nothing, Mrs. Sakuraba." Joshua looked away innocently. "We should put Neku to rest now, Mrs. Sakuraba."

"Oh! Right!"

Mrs. Sakuraba carried her son upstairs and into his room where she laid him on the bed. "Now that I notice, what is your name?"

"Yoshiya Kiryu. But Mother and Father call me Joshua. Feel free to call me that." Joshua smiled pleasantly before giving out a little giggle.

"Neku never mentioned you, though." Mrs. Sakuraba cocked a curious eyebrow.

"He calls me 'Josh' if you must know."

"Josh…..I heard that name before."

Ah yes, how Mrs. Sakuraba heard that name….Many times…..She heard the name spilled out of Neku's lips when he's angry or scared. At night, she would hear her son scream for this "Josh" not to leave him. This occurred often for a week after he returned back home before it stopped. His nightly screams have stopped but lately, for the last two weeks, she heard him muttering the same name in annoyance and anger when he stomped upstairs in his room. Oh, and there was also that one time where she heard Neku arguing with someone in his room…So maybe she wasn't hearing things….

Mrs. Sakuraba smiled at him awkwardly before turning to go out of the room, "I-I'll get a wet cloth for Neku. I'll be back."

She left the room. As soon as she was out of hearing range, Shiki spoke out. "You're a good actor but really mean."

Joshua tossed his silver locks and giggled. "All the more to make my life more interesting."

Shiki just stared in disbelief before adding a long, "Okaay……."

"Mrs. Sakuraba was a pretty woman, was she? Her orange hair and blue eyes are the most striking features in my opinion." Joshua said nonchalantly with a wave of his hand. Shiki jumped slightly as she fiddle with Mr. Mew's arms.

"Uh, yeah sure. After all, Neku got most of his looks from her. But not her personality." Shiki answered absent-mindly with a short laugh.

An odd silence passed between them before Joshua's light bulb lit up. His lips curled into his familiar smirk as he stared at Neku's unconscious form. "Well, when's he going to wake up? He can't stay asleep for the next hundred years, you know." "Joshua…" Shiki warned threateningly.

"And a Sleeping Beauty always needs a prince." Joshua crossed his arms in thought before nodding to himself.

"Joshua, I don't know what are you thinking but you better not do anything bad to Neku. If you do-e-eh?!" Shiki's face went red as Joshua leaned on the bed and kissed Neku again.

Unbeknownst to Neku, Joshua actually wasn't just kissing him for the fun of it. Besides getting the thrill of seeing him beet red, Joshua adored the boy quite a lot. The Composer first laid eyes on him on his daily check-up of Shibuya about six years ago. Back then, Neku was about nine or ten. However, Neku's blank personality and striking features like his eyes and hair were present. His behavior often amused the Composer. It was only until Neku was fifteen that Joshua realized that Neku's individuality made him the best candidate for representing him in the Game. Despite Sanae's warnings, he couldn't help but become a Player himself to meet the boy face to face. Neku's behavior and suspicion made the Composer's heart swell with joy and humor. Not that the Composer was sadistic or anything. It was only natural that he, Yoshiya Kiryu, the Composer of Shibuya, fall in love with Neku Sakuraba.

Kissing Neku, to him, was a privilege that made his heart burst with joy. It made him happy to know that despite Neku denying it, the boy was slowly falling for him if not, already in love with him. Joshua would just have to sit back and keep doing his thing to make sure he's still on his leash.

"Okay, I have the wet cloth here-Oh m-my!" Mrs. Sakuraba shrieked as she saw her son's mouth being molested by the sweet boy she saw earlier. Joshua lifted his lips off of Neku's but refuse to move his body. Neku's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Ah…so Sleeping Beauty has finally awakened once more." Joshua mused to himself.

"H-huh…what happened?" Neku rubbed his eyes tiredly, trying to bring his blurry vision back into focus.

"Neku, you're gay?!" Mrs. Sakuraba yelled out in surprise, her face going red. Neku, even when not fully awake, had heard that loud and clear.

"No, I'm-Oh, dear lord!" Neku's eyes widen in realization that Joshua was half-straddling him. He blushed ten-fold before he slapped a pillow over his head. Under the pillow, the orange-haired boy mumbled something that sounded a lot like, "No matter what anyone says. I'm sleeping. Got it? I know nothing and I will stay here until hell freezes over."

"Aww, Neku. Don't be shy. Tell your dear mother about our relationship."

Neku felt two hands grasping on his pillow and immediately pulled the pillow back, making the Composer grimaced at the sudden strength.

"Neku, you come out from under that pillow this instant and explain yourself!" Mrs. Sakuraba said sternly. Groaning, Neku reluctantly sat up in his bed. He shrunk under his mother's suspicious glare.

"Mom, I-"

"Neku Sakuraba, never in my life I knew that you were gay or bi." Mrs. Sakuraba put her hands on her hips, looking insulted. However, she added in a tiny voice, "Not that I mind, of course."

Shiki did not dare speak up from fright. Who ever knew that she would be stuck in the middle of an argument between an apparent fan girl(Mrs. Sakuraba), a spazzing and clearly-showing-emotion Cloud wannabe, and the arrogant dick extraordinaire who was apparently gay? Shiki slowly lifted one of her hands to pinch herself. Was this really real? Unfortunately, the only things she experienced after she pinched herself was a momentary stinging pain.

"Oww." she said flatly and meekly.

"Mom, you know that's not true. That's Josh's problem! He's the one who started it against my own will!" Neku shouted out in indignation, jabbing a finger into the smirking Composer's chest.

Unconvinced, Neku's mother rolled her eyes dismissively. "Right…Care to explain why you were screaming this boy's name in your sleep before then?"

Her son flushed before stuttering. "That-that. I mean-"

There was no way he's going to tell in front of Joshua that he suffered from traumatic nightmares of Joshua leaving him. No way he's telling that in the arrogant prick's face. Absolutely no way in hell. Joshua would never let him live it down.

"Just tell what's on your mind, dear." Joshua drawled out, drawing small circles on Neku's arm. The pale boy leaned towards the other's ear and whispered, "Tell her what you're feeling right now." Neku widen his eyes. What was he feeling right now? What were the words or thoughts on his mind? The orange-haired boy found it quite easy to answer the rhetorical questions. What was he feeling? Pissed. Angry. Irritated. Embarrassed. Ominous. Major-ly Pissed. Words that ran through his mind right now? Pissed. Damn. You. Joshua. Ugh. Fish. Wait, where did 'fish' come from?

"I'm pissed, angry, irritated, embarrassed, humiliated, and want to strangle Josh this instant." Neku executed flawlessly. "Kinda like this."

Immediately, his calm was thrown away as he screamed ballistics at the Composer as his hands frantically try to strangle the boy's neck. Joshua looked alarmed for a second before smirking as he analyzed the situation. Of course, it was only natural that Neku's violent actions have some recoil. Because of his frantic actions, Neku lost his balance and fell on his back, bringing Joshua with him. Please do remember he still had his hands half-cupped around Joshua's neck. Expecting this, Joshua swooped for another peck on Neku's lips, fueling his anger even more.

However, just as about Neku opened his mouth for another round of outbursts, Mrs. Sakuraba blushed bright red. Just as planned, Joshua knew that from the mother's point of view it would appeared that Neku was trying to make Joshua kiss him by pushing him by the neck towards him. So now, it appeared that Neku and Joshua were trying to "get it on" in her presence. Apparently, Shiki thought the same upon seeing how wrong the position looked like.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Neku blinked for second before his face blushed once more. Seriously, at this rate, his head was going to explode! Immediately, he struggle to push Joshua off of him.

"O-Oh my. I think I understand your behavior, Neku. I understand the truth." Mrs. Sakuraba looked away, mortified at the scene.

"Mom, please, it's not what you-"

"You're currently suffering from the kind of disease that all teenage boys has when they feel affection for someone…YOU'RE SEXUALLY FRUSTRATED!! Shiki," the woman turned to the brown-haired girl who felt seemingly left out in this whole mess and scared now. "Should we leave?"

"Uh, sure. Most gladly." Shiki said eagerly and got up to follow the woman. However, Neku screamed in fright.

"Please, Mom! Don't leave me here with Josh! You only met him today!" Neku screamed out as he pushed Joshua's all-too friendly hands away. "You're leaving me with a guy you barely know." Mrs. Sakuraba stopped in mid step, making Neku sigh in relief. He hissed and slapped Joshua's hands before bucking his hips upward to push Joshua off. When that didn't work, Neku resolve for kicking. Kicking was very effective, especially in the balls. He wish he had his phone to record the moment when Joshua's face shriveled like a prune for a moment before dropping off of Neku's bed. It was priceless. However, his happiness was short-lived when Mrs. Sakuraba roughly pulled Joshua to his feet. Hmm, it seems that Neku has also inherited his mother's strength.

"Alright, Neku, I have something to ask you." Mrs. Sakuraba said to Neku. "Come downstairs. You too, Shiki and Joshua."

Joshua shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and went out the door. Neku scrambled to his feet with Shiki right behind him. As they went down the stairs, Shiki couldn't help but ask.

"What do you think your mom is going to do?" she whispered in worry.

"Not even I know, Shiki. But I have a really bad feeling about this. My mom is a total spaz for her age." Neku answered in a dreaded tone. His feet felt like heavy lead. "Knowing her, it ought to be something outrageous. Something that would make Joshua die from laughing or become really good friends with her to plot against me."

"Excuse me?" Joshua cocked a curious eyebrow. The brown-haired girl became flustered and immediately waved her hands in front of her.

"N-nothing." she stuttered out.

The three teenagers and Neku's mother sat down at the small dining table. Mrs. Sakuraba let out a weary sigh. "Joshua, Neku, I want you to be honest with me."

"Of course, Mrs. Sakuraba." Joshua drawled smoothly, drawing small circles on the wooden furnish of the table.

"…So….which one of you is the seme of the relationship?"

Shiki let out a strangled sound that sounded like a choke. Joshua only shrugged his shoulders and smirked. However, Neku did not get it.

"What is a seme anyway?" Neku asked clueless, cocking his head to the side in thought. Joshua blushed lightly before clearing his throat and speaking.

"That would be me, Mrs. Sakuraba. I was the one who usually initiates everything in this relationship. However, I would prefer to be call 'equals' please. Neku is too shy and thickheaded to initiate anything despite his physical strength."

"Hey!" Neku yelled out in indignation. He pounded his fists on the table. "Don't listen to a word he says! We're not together, damn it!" "Of course, Neku, of course." Mrs. Sakuraba commented dryly. Neku twitched his eye in distress and felt like banging his head on the table.

"How are we even related…" the boy mumbled as he sunk back in his chair, sulking.

Shiki patted his back apologetically. "He's right, Mrs. Sakuraba. Joshua and Neku isn't really 'together' together."

"See? Even Shiki says so." Neku answered triumphantly, crossing his arms.

"Joshua is actually trying to court Neku. Of course, we could see that Joshua's persistence is starting to pay off." Shiki answered brightly, making Neku sink back into his chair again with a groan.

Thirty minutes felt like absolute hell as Neku was forced to listen to every damn word his mother had to say like…..Well, those old teachings like:

"Use condoms. Safe sex is awesome." Like that.

"Joshua, if you ever hurt my son in any shape or form, I will hunt you down and castrate you with a spork. A dull spork." Hmm, now that Neku thought about it, that didn't seem like a bad thought.

"Please, be good little boys and don't go to bars to get drunk. I know how rotten the bartender is in this city...to even let fifteen-year-olds have some shots just for the money." Uh…sure.

"Please remember to close the blinds and lock the door while having sex." Neku rolled his eyes, the chances of that happening were really small.

"Keep making out under control. The last thing I want to see is two naked boys eating at each other's faces." Joshua had to laugh at that one.

And there's this one: "Oh, Joshua! Neku's left ear and neck is probably one of his most sensitive places. Please keep that in mind. Oh, by the way, Neku is quite ticklish. Hopefully, you could use that to your advantage." Wait a second, what the hell?

"Of course, Mrs. Sakuraba. I will keep that in mind." Joshua smiled sweetly. "You know, Mrs. Sakuraba, you are a very nice woman. Probably one of the most attractive and kindest that I met in my life."

The woman threw him a friendly smile.

"Wow, you were right, Neku. They did get on friendly terms with each other." Shiki whispered at a dumbstruck Neku.

"….I knew it. They are secretly plotting my demise." he muttered under his breath. Dear lord, help him please.

Shiki and Neku stared in silence as Joshua and Mrs. Sakuraba had a friendly conversation. The orange-haired boy's eye twitched in disturbance as Joshua's "damn acting skills" began to work. Unbeknownst to Mrs. Sakuraba herself, she was actually leaking out information about Neku's own personal stuff. Stupid damn kiss-up.

About fifteen minutes later, Joshua let out a sigh. "Oh, will you look at the time? I must go now. I have a curfew with Mother and Father."

Neku rolled his eyes. Curfew, his ass.

The brown-haired girl stood up from her chair as well. Mr. Mew bounced in her arms. "I have to go too. See you tomorrow, Neku."

"Right." the orange-haired boy heft himself up from his own chair and guided Shiki to the door. "See you tomorrow, I guess."

"Aww, no goodbye for me?" Joshua piped behind him.

"As if. Get out of my house, you pompous jackass." Neku gave the Composer a harsh shove to highlight his point.

"Neku, be nice. Bye, Shiki! Bye, Joshua!" Mrs. Sakuraba gave a friendly wave before walking back in the house. As soon as she was out of earshot, Neku hissed at the pale boy.

"Don't you dare come back."

"Aww, you're just angry that I have to leave now. Don't worry I'll come back tomorrow." Joshua smiled slyly before cupping Neku's face. In retaliation, the orange-haired boy threw off Joshua's arms, treating them like tentacles.

"You don't have to! Get lost, you gay pansy! I know you're gay but I don't like you!" Neku shook his fist for emphasis. Joshua laughed and walked away before turning back to Neku. The Composer stuck his tongue at him playfully.

"Your mom thinks you're gay." With a snicker, Joshua waved goodbye and teleported off. Ooh…burn!

It was just so silly and ironic of how true those words were. It was then when Neku realized that everyone was pretty much against him. He could only ask to himself, "What the hell?!"

Somewhere in the universe….

A pig sprouted wings and sharp teeth and began to fly to its innocent place in someone's broken sanity.

* * *

Anyway, for those who don't understand the last sentence, this signifies that Neku is slowly needing help. Poor Neku. Anyway, review please!


	9. A very long author note

No, this isn't a chapter. Before you all scream at me for not updating for a long time. Please listen to my sad and pathetic excuses. You can believe either version one or version two of the story. Both are the reasons of what happened.

* * *

_Version one:_

Nezumi's Cheese was walking around, thinking about the final chapter of the story. She felt happy of how crappy/wonderful (please choose one) the story was going. It had been nearly over two months since the last chapter. Encouraged, she went to the park to have some peace. However, something peculiar appeared. A flying pig suddenly appeared from heaven before the authoress. He looked very pissed for some reason. These are the very words he said to her: "It is a sin to leave your stories un-updated for over two months. For this, I must deliver the judgment that all procrastinator authors must suffer. You shall suffer from worry, guilt, and most of all, PAIN!!!!"

Nezumi's Cheese raised a confused eyebrow. Then, she answered, "….I never heard of this before."

Then, the warrior of the skies said, "This is just my job. It's by lottery, really. You're just the unlucky person of the month."

The authoress twitched her eye in disturbance. "So….what was this about pain?"

The flying pig roared and bitchslapped her one of too many times to her head with his painful hooves. Then, as a finishing touch, he bashed her thick skull with his giant-uranium-ice-cream-cone thingy and flew away. Needless to say, it was very painful for the sinful authoress and she suffered brain damage. Now, she must spent one month of therapy and treatment at the hospital because of this sin. So, for the readers of this story, this authoress will not update this story until late March. Please send get well cards for this poor soul.

_Version two:_

Nezumi's Cheese tapped her chin at home, finding it difficult to concentrate when something was bothering her. The screaming of her parents' adopted monkey when she was little a.k.a. the demonic little brother. Pissed off, she tells him to shut the fuck up. Her mother gets mad and gives a lecture about appropriate language that she really doesn't give a damn about with a bonus of being grounded from her laptop.

Her mood becomes even more irritated with a Social Studies project, fucking Science finals, and the worst of all, music, all due somewhere in March. With her mom wailing at her to practice her flute and piano for tests, she becomes unnecessarily stressed. She does her best to get everything from school to music done but finds out that her computer time is being limited to an one hour. With this stuff distracting her from her stories, she decides to postpone her stories even more than ever reluctantly. So, readers, she asks of you, do not expect any chapters until late March. She is very sorry and asks for forgiveness.

* * *

Which version do you believe?


	10. Feel Pretty, Much?

Uh…..well, this is somewhat awkward. Anyway, I'm back after I got sick of my consciences' wailing and whining about continuing this story. After so much waiting, it is finally here! Well, without further ado, this is the next and part 1 of the final chapter since I'm an asshole.

Disclaimer: I don't TWEWY.

* * *

It was morning. Neku swing his legs slightly as he laid on his soft bed, thinking about the awkward previous events. Unlike before when he used to brood about his bad luck and idiotic friends 24/7, he anticipated today's event.

Today was the last day amazingly. Fourteen days had gone by quicker or slower than he expected. However, this was also the day where he had to fulfill the final detail of the bet. It didn't help that Shiki and Eri yelled at him yesterday and gave him a lecture about shaving his legs and arms. He refused and shut them out of his head until the fashion designer threatened him with a wax shave. Painful. So, he spent last night, nicking himself with the embarrassing shaver Shiki bought him. Now, the final part was today. Dressing up as a girl for at least two hours. However, note the words, "at least." The orange-haired boy sighed submissively. With Eri and Joshua combined, they'll plot his demise together. Scary thing is, Eri has a Bachelor's Degree in being a controlling and mischievous bitch. Joshua, on the other hand, graduated from the University of Patronizing Bastards.

_Oh, come on, it isn't THAT bad…._a voice, presumably his conscience, spoke out. _There are more worst things that could happen to you._

Closing his blue eyes, Neku nodded to himself. Maybe. It wasn't definitely the worst that ever happened to him. Except that time where he had to wear…Mus Rattus threads…Wait, Josh had to become a drag queen in Natural Puppy threads…Scratch that…Well, he was betrayed and killed by a prissy girly-looking dick extraordinaire who was actually a god….He had his dignity taken away when Shiki went ballistic over that loose button on his shorts. Beat's monkey speech gave him a really a big headache too. Well, all of this proves that Lady Luck either wanted to run him over with a gigantic pick-up truck or she had THAT this month. Ugh, he really needed to stop his emo urges.

"Neku? Your boyfriend, Shiki, and her friend are here to see you!" Neku grimaced inwardly, knowing that the demons invaded his holy territory for the second time. It wasn't long before footsteps approach his door. The orange-haired boy raised his head slightly and let out a short breath of relief before a feeling of dread overcame him when he saw his door was locked, leaving it completely to Joshua's mercy. He sat up slowly as the lock rattled slightly from the force of hands trying to go in from the other side.

"Huh? It's locked." Eri.

"Eh?! Neku, you in there?" Shiki.

"…Someone's a little depressed today." Joshua.

Neku's eyes darted back and forth, looking for a way out and landed on his window. Taking a quick glance, he thought to himself, 'If I could survive a fall from a three story building, I can survive this.'

Opening his window full way, Neku took a hesitant breath and slowly leaned out to see the bushes beneath him. Good, at least, some bushes can act as a cushion for his fall.

"Aww, come on! Neku, you in there?!" Eri.

"Please open the door, Neku…" Shiki.

"Hmm, are you sure it's locked, Eri?" Joshua.

"I'm positive." Eri.

"Let me try." With a flourish of his hand, the Composer opened the door. Eri immediately barged in as soon as Neku's upper half was out the room.

"Hey, Neku!"

"Ah!" Out of surprise, the orange-haired boy's concentration was shattered and he lost his footing and nearly fell out of the window. His whole entire body, except his knees and down, shook frantically for help.

"Neku!" the brown-haired girl screamed in alarm. She immediately rushed over and grabbed onto Neku's foot. The boy flailed helplessly upside down as Shiki struggled to pull him up. Joshua chuckled slightly to Neku's stupid act and strolled lazily to help him. The Composer grabbed on the former Player's white shorts to avoid getting hit by the flailing limbs. Almost expected, he yanked hard enough to bring shorts up but not the body. So, now, not only Neku was flailing out of the window, his red CAT boxers were exposed to all the world. And the innocent little boy next door playing with his ball who just got scarred for life. Well, fu-

Having his fill of amusement for the moment, the Composer snapped his fingers and let a strong gust of wind blow against Neku to give Shiki and Eri and extra boost of lifting the boy up backwards. Hearing the commotion from the room, Mrs. Sakuraba bolted in and widen her eyes as she saw Eri and Shiki holding a half-naked Neku by the arms as he put shorts back on with a nearby pale boy clearly checking the other male out. Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open and closed again like a fish feeding on steroid-laced food**(1)**. Then, she spoke. "Gay stripper much, Neku?"

Her son stuttered out curses and things that should be illegal in shock as he slowly turned angry. Shiki went slightly pink before clearing her voice to speak. "Well, not exactly. You see, Neku tried to climb out of the window but his footing slipped and, well, things happened. Joshua…tried to help. Neku's shorts got pulled off and…uh…" Luckily, Mrs. Sakuraba already got the picture.

Unlike any other mother who would probably comfort or baby her child after they done something dangerous, Mrs. Sakuraba narrowed her eyes and strolled over to Neku with angry steps. Then, for the first time, Neku cringed and pressed his back against his bedstead in fear. Joshua stifled a snort as he watched the scene unfold.

If Neku did not try to do something stupid and was just minding his own business, Joshua would find the option of reporting a woman known as Kaori Sakuraba to the child abuse services a very good option. Ah, but Neku only had himself to blame for this misfortune as Mrs. Sakuraba sat on his bed, giving him a creepy smile that could kill puppies.

"Neku, my dear, dear son. I love you so dearly much. I know that you can't be perfect but this is…this is the one of the stupidest. The _stupidest,_" Mrs. Sakuraba gripped Neku's wrists to the point where blood circulation wasn't possible. The boy let out a small whimper as his bones were slowly crush by the demon who conceived him.

Mrs. Sakuraba pressed on. "I never felt so angry than that last time. That _last time. _You disappear for three weeks. Sure, I was relieved that you came back but I was still pretty angry that you didn't even bother to even call! The only reason why I didn't ground you was because I was so happy that you finally found friends who could put up with your surly attitude. However, today, there is no excuse. Now, today, you were stripping and you tried to commit suicide by jumping out a window! Have you gone _mad?_" Her voice slowly rise up an octave and the yelling began.

About ten minutes of yelling and whining from Eri, Shiki, and his mom, Neku was now stuck sitting on his bed, pouting/sulking angrily until his mom shoot him a glare. He stood up straight, now pale as Joshua. The yelling and whining went something like this:

"What _the fucking hell _were you thinking?! You could've died!"

"Neku, you idiot! You could've split your head wide open and bleed to death! And you know quite well that I hate getting my outfits dirty!"

"Oh my god, are you alright, Neku?! I'm so sorry this had to happen!"

"You are grounded for two weeks! And don't you even bother visiting that stupid graffiti wall of yours in those weeks!

"I mean, your dried blood all over my blue dress? It's not cool, is it?"

And so forth. By the time when it was all over, Mrs. Sakuraba was red and calmed herself down before giving Neku and the others a warm and pleasant smile. "Well, I hope you have a good life." With that, she exited the room in a flourish as if nothing happened and she didn't verbally-abused her son. Neku's mouth gaped open as he sat on the bed, paralyzed with obvious fear. Joshua, unfazed by the events that just happened, sliced the tension into to itty-bitty pieces with a very sharp knife by strolling over to Neku. He bent down to Neku's eye level before commenting huskily, "Stop gaping like a fish before I occupy your mouth for you."

The stupor of the air was instantly broken as Neku blushed ten-fold and violently pushed the boy away. Eri got up and put her hands on her hips before smiling at Neku. "So…where's your bathroom?"

"Ugh, out the door, the first room to your right." Neku leaned back in his bed before turning to Shiki. "I'm going to sound like a total idiot for saying this but give me the stupid dress and let's get this over with."

Shiki giggled as she reached over into the bag that Eri brought earlier and tossed a blue soft fabric towards him. Neku's hands flew to automatically catch it.

"It goes with your eyes." Shiki said before Neku could say anything. However, as expected, Neku found something wrong with this outfit and proceed to rant about his new victim. The first thing he noticed about the dress was that it was blue. And it had no sleeves. Just two thin straps instead.

"It's sleeveless." he answered quietly.

"Um, so?" Shiki raised a confused eyebrow.

"It has no sleeves."

"Your point?"

"It doesn't even have any short sleeves."

"What's your point, Neku?"

"It looks…tight." Neku commented, his voice sounding forced.

"Yeah, and hip too!" Shiki added cheerily.

"It's tight as in…painful to wear." he shuddered for extra effect.

"But it's soft, though!" Shiki cried out indignantly. Neku squeezed the poor dress and wringed it experimentally, earning cries of anger from the girl. Suddenly, the boy paled before glaring at the brunette.

"Weren't you here when I made the rules with Beat?" he hissed indignantly thrusting the offending part of the dress. "I thought I made it clear that I wouldn't wear a bra or a thong. So, what _the hell _is this?"

"Eh?" Shiki felt the dress a little before blushing lightly. "Oh, this. It's a built-in padding. Eri kinda got the idea from those bikinis that she saw at the D+B store."

"DANG! Neku, your bathroom is so small!" Eri suddenly cried out of nowhere.

"Shut up, Eri!" Neku called out.

"Why would I need padding though? It might as well be a bra sewn in an outfit." Neku asked confused.

"Because, Neku, even with a wig, you still kinda look like yourself. Eri sent some of the photos in with her application to the fashion school she wanted to go to and they were amazed at the fact that her transvestite… friend…..was…such a…. good model….and….." the brunette said innocently, trailing off meekly at the sight of Neku's blood boiling.

"WHAT?!" That school had some nerve calling Neku a transvestite!

"Anyway, I really don't like the padding much either. I think it's too big on you."

"Aw, come on, Shiki. We all know that Neku might look good in women's clothes but man boobs don't sell on him." Joshua commented, making Neku snarl obviously affronted.

"Well, that's why we have to make him look like a girl after all. The dress is meant to hug curves and the chest. It won't look right if it's baggy in the front. That's not the style." Shiki replied back, tapping her chin in thought.

"That's why we give him these things." a voice suddenly spoke out. Eri stood at the doorway with her hands on her hips. "Catch."

Neku's hands flew to automatically catch…two small peach-colored balloons. "They're squishy water balloons?"

"Um no, Neku." Shiki's face went suddenly red as Joshua stifled a laugh. Neku gave another squeeze.

"I don't get it. What does this have to do with the dress. They're just really squishy water balloons."

"They're filled with silicone, dear. Not water." Joshua hinted in amusement. However, Neku remained clueless.

"Well, Neku. I actually been planning for a bit. Let's just say that I want a model who fills the dress in well. So the things you're holding are fake boobs."

"Oh, god." No sooner Eri's words left her mouth, Neku immediately dropped the "squishy water balloons." And to think, these things reminded him of his stuffed animal when he was small. Oh dear god.

"No. Just no." the ex-Player sneered, kicking the balloons tentatively for extra effect.

"I agree." Shiki said. "Those balloons are way too big on him."

"Just stuff tissues, if you're so worried about it." Joshua spoke out; one of the rare things that didn't get Neku all pissed at him.

"Yeah, why can't I do that?"

"Don't you know it's shameful to stuff tissues in a girl's bra?" Eri screeched indignantly. Joshua pondered in thought for a moment before smirking.

"Hmm…I guess we're going to use a different way." he mused to himself. Eri and Shiki didn't understand but Neku understood that smirk from anywhere. Of course, after Joshua's thought attacked his head, he knew it well himself.

'_Well, Neku. Eri's angry and you're not happy. And I have control of how things are done in Shibuya…'_Joshua said mentally, shooting Neku a look.

'_Are you going to imprint her?' _Neku guessed lamely, shooting the Composer a pensive look.

'_Nope. I can control over life so….why not control the human body?'_

'_Oh. My. God. No, just…no.'_

'_Aww, come on, dear. It would just be for a day.'_

'_Hell no. No sex change! I don't like boobs!'_

Joshua sighed in defeat. _'Well, at least, it makes me happy to know you're still batting for the other team.'_

Neku opened his mouth to protest before Eri sighed and threw her hands in defeat. "Fine, don't where the fake boobs. We'll stuff tissue in them instead but don't blame me if someone on the streets sees a tissue popping out from your dress."

"Well, let's go!" Shiki exclaimed gleefully as she grabbed Neku's arm lightly, giving him a warm and sweet smile. "Let's make the most of this, Neku! It's your final day anyway! Hey, that rhymed!"

"Ha, sure." Neku commented with a faint and careful smile, letting the girl pull him the bathroom.

Shiki locked the bathroom and took in the surroundings as she set down her bag. "Eri's right, Neku. Your bathroom IS small."

"Shut up." Neku scowled as he took off his blue oversized collar shirt off and tossed on the toilet cover. Shiki would never admit it but ever since they came back from the UG and he started eating more, Neku had a drool-worthy body. So, she ogled his body in silence. Well, not really, she had to stop after Neku gave her a weird and suspicious look that clearly spelled out, "Joshua, you're not possessing Shiki, are you?"

Neku reluctantly took his shorts off and gave a small light joke. "I hope you're not going to scream at me and go nuts over a loose button."

"Don't worry. My sewing is perfected. That button won't ever go loose again." Shiki giggled as Neku handed her his pants. "Nice boxers." Shiki pointed out, giggling slightly as Neku's face turned red.

"Shut up. I like CAT's art."

"Of course. Of course. Now, bend down."

The brunette helped raised the dress over Neku's head and quickly put over his head. Much to Neku's surprise, it was very soft and light and not at all, tight. Well, it was tight but not the "painful" kind of tight. The dress flared out in a natural way at the bottom and reached to the bottom of his knees. He did feel slightly embarrassed at the fact that the dress hugged the right body parts which, of course, included hips. The chest part had frills and naturally puffed out, making Neku shake his head. The dress straps held his dress in place tightly but comfortably. It was a very plain dress but if Neku thought to himself, 'If I ever get a daughter or something, I would want her to wear this.' In conclusion, the dress wasn't as bad as he thought. Why else couldn't he stop staring at it?

"Twirl." Shiki finally said, breathless at how well Neku looked. He looked good in the other outfits but this was the best one yet. She made a circular gesture with her finger. Neku reluctantly turned.

"Uh…" The soft cotton fabric brushed against his thighs, making him uncomfortable. "I feel so gay now."

"You mean, gayer than usual." Shiki corrected him, blushing at the memory.

"I'm not gay." There was the overused line again.

"Anyway, you make the dress look good." Shiki commented with a warm smile, making Neku flush ten-fold.

"I'm not sure if that was supposed to be an insult or a compliment but I'll take the second choice." Neku said, twisting his body examining himself.

"I'm not going to a party, you know." he deadpanned. "This looks way too fancy.

"Does it really make a difference? There's more outrageous stuff you see on the street than this."

"Good point. I feel…kinda naked though. Especially, up here." His hands flew to his collar area. "No scarf, this time?"

"Nope. You get this nice black short jacket as well as these nice high heels too. You done?" Eri called out from the other side of the door.

"Almost. Give us ten minutes, Eri!" Shiki cried out before holding the black jacket. Easing it in Neku's shoulders, it was done.

"What was that about high heels?" Neku asked suspiciously. He seen his mother's high heels. It looked hard to walk in them.

"Oh, don't worry. The heels are not the thin kind but those thick high heel sandals so it should be easy to walk into." the other answered, frowning and examining Neku's hair.

"But-"

"Thank god, we have that wig. This hair is simply impossible!" she exclaimed, trying to flatten Neku's hair down only for it to pop back up in a split second when she let go. "You might as well use cement and call that your hair gel! Mr. Mew did say that once."

"Screw Mr. Mew. I know he's out to get me. Stupid pig…"

"What was that?"

"Uh, n-nothing."

"Anyway, let's focus on the tissues first." Shiki side-stepped around Neku and pluck the tissue roll hanging next to the toilet. She took a long swab of tissue and bunched it all up before examining it and passing her examination. She turned towards Neku and stared at the flat and baggy opening off Neku's front. She look at the tissue then at Neku, then the tissue, then at Neku.

"Let's see…I guess…you just force this thing in here." Shiki tentatively took hold of the edge of Neku's front only to let go after the said boy flinched backwards towards the wall.

"Don't…do that. I was violated once. I don't want to be violated again." Neku hissed, backing away from the wad of tissue. "Let me do it."

Shiki handed Neku the wad. The orange-haired boy struggled to put the tissue but managed to put it in after five minutes. Shiki handed him the next wad of tissue and he did the same. Then, the girl examined him.

"Ehm…Look's good enough…" she answered, rubbing her chin in thought. She turned around and picked up the make-up bag she had on the counter. Her eyes turned to Neku to take in his features. Neku watched as the pair of brown eyes roam over his own.

"Let's see….An eyelash curler. A lipstick. A TINY bit of blush. And some eye-shadow. Would mascara do you some good too?" Shiki thought out loud before digging into her bag for the said items. Neku spluttered in disgust, obviously overwhelmed by Shiki's list.

"Y-You didn't that much, last time!" he stuttered out, his eyes widening at the dreaded items. He pointed at the odd-looking scissors. "And what the hell is that?! Are you trying to give me plastic surgery?! Those look like scissors!"

The brunette rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hands. "Oh, don't be such a baby. You use this on your eyes-"

"You're trying to cut my eye open? Get that damn thing away from me." Neku's eye twitched in disturbance as he stared more at the horrid contraption.

"This is the eyelash curler. Stop making a big deal. This is used to accentuate your eye lashes. See, you use this to clamp on your eyelashes and you hold it for a couple of seconds." Shiki explained, looking around for something. "Umm, do you have a blow-dryer or hairdryer?"

"I don't understand you girls and your makeup." Neku grumbled before standing up and searching the nearby bathroom drawers.

"All the more to be gay, right, Neku?" Shiki laughed, ducking as Neku chucked a plastic comb at her.

"Shut up. Here." Neku handed the girl the blowdryer. "Why do you need a blowdryer anyway?"

"For best results, you need a blowdryer and apply the low heat to the eyelash curler for about four seconds." Shiki explained as she plugged the blowdryer in a nearby plug before turning it on at low setting and heating the eyelash curler for a short period of time. "Okay, come here. I'll apply it on."

Neku tentatively closed his eyes then he felt the scissor-thingy clamp on his eyelashes. The same was done to his other eye.

"Okay, done. Now, let's get the other things done. Eri, you can come in!" Shiki yelled out as she put the eyelash curler back in the bag and unlock the door. As on cue, the door opened to reveal a pink-haired girl.

"All right. I got the wig. Let's tame that hair down." the fashion designer crowed, taking out a medium-sized bottle of hair spray.

"Wha-Oww, my eyes!" Neku shrieked suddenly when Eri accidentally sprayed his eyes.

"Here's a wet towel! Sorry bout' that! Just excited, you know!" she apologized gleefully. Neku quickly brushed it off. Of course, this is the first and last time he was wearing the dress, who wouldn't feel giddy about it?

"I'll help do all the make-up!" Shiki said happily as she took out the eye-shadow.

After about thirty minutes (twenty spent on the hair), it was done. Shiki gaped her mouth open. He…or she was…breathtakingly pretty. The wig was arranged and melted with his hair color perfectly, making his hair length just below his chest. The make-up did its job in accentuating his facial features to perfection. Long eyelashes. Faintly blue eye-shadow. And a slight pinkish blush dusted his cheeks. The only problem was that the boy-turned-girl was frowning in an ugly way.

He licked his lips experimentally over the now painted lips. He immediately spluttered out. "Really? It has to be cotton candy?"

"Hey, cotton candy is awesome!" the brunette answered indignantly, admiring her work. "You don't look very lady-like, frowning and eating at your lips. Try smiling." "No." Neku deadpanned. The other girl sighed and shook her head as she pat Neku's head.

"At least, the wig blends in perfectly with his scalp. But then again, you can't really change the guy's attitude. Oh yeah, we gotta do something about the voice. Too deep. Can you like do a falsetto voice or something?" the pink-haired girl asked, looking upwards towards the ceiling in thought.

"Can I do something else? Like, be mute for the day?"

"Well, you have to speak some way or another. You can't stay mute forever, you know." Shiki said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"We could kick him the balls. That ought to get his voice higher pitched temporarily like those Italian singers, castrato." Eri thought out loud, making Neku pale and cover his lower area protectively.

"No. That would only serve to make him limp and people would get suspicious." the other girl answered back.

"Hmm…I-"Eri was interrupted when her phone started the ring. "Hello? Oh, sorry. I'm going to step outside for a while. It's Mick. My friend, Mina, has a friend who's in a relationship with him. He needs to talk to me about my part time job at the Q building."

"Sure, whatever." Neku watched silently as Eri closed the door and went to wait outside, taking the call. Suddenly, Shiki started to squirm uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?" the ex-Player asked, looking worried. The girl looked nervous.

"Oh, for some reason, I have the sudden urge to use the restroom." Shiki said, looking up and down.

"What?" Neku's mind went blank for a second before he realized what was happening. Joshua. He caused this. He probably caused the phone call too with imprinting that guy Mick too. "Oh, all right. I'll just wait in my bedroom for a short while then."

"Thanks, Neku." With that, the boy got up and exited the door and glanced at Eri busily talking on the phone before heading to his left.

He opened his door hesitantly but turned the knob anyway to see Joshua sitting on his bed calmly.

"I hope you weren't jacking any of my stuff." Neku said darkly.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Joshua giggled lightly.

"What were you doing?" Neku asked suspiciously. The Composer could only smirk as he strolled over towards the other male and cupped his chin gently.

"Oh, well, you look rather charming." he purred, rubbing a finger under Neku's chin, making him blush profusely.

"Shut the hell up. What do you want?" he answered gruffly.

"Well, I was getting kinda bored. I heard from the bathroom that you needed to change your voice."

"You were eavesdropping?!"

"Hey, I get bored too, you know." the pale boy went defensive.

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"I can change your voice temporarily. And they won't even know." Joshua suggested lazily. "I am a god anyway."

"You would do that?" Neku scowled, knowing all too well that if Joshua could control life and the physics of gravity itself (i.e. pushing Neku off a three story building and cushioning his fall) , this should be a cinch for him.

"Of course, you're my favorite proxy. I can change your voice by rearranging your vocal chords."

"Sounds painful." the orange-haired boy answered.

"Oh no. It isn't. I've done it plentiful times to disguise my voice when necessary. It's perfectly painless and harmless. See?" the Composer lifted his index finger and twirled it lazily. Neku didn't feel anything at all.

"What? I don't know what…" Gradually, Neku's voice went higher effortlessly to the point where he sounded like a girl. Slightly lower than Shiki's but high enough to be distinguished as a girl's. His hands immediately flew to cup his throat as he answered breathlessly in his temporary girl voice. "Amazing."

"And, I can change it back for you too." Joshua added, flicking his finger down. When Neku let out a small sound, he notice that his normal voice was back. "Alright?"

"I hope you don't expect payment from this." Neku said.

"No, don't worry. I don't. Consider it already paid after you helped me win my own Game."

Neku's face knitted into a scowl. "Don't ever mention that again, you bastard."

"Ah, all's well that ends well." Joshua answered cheerily.

Just then, Eri entered the room and so did Shiki. "Oh, there you are. So, about your voice-"

"We already got that fixed. I managed to help him raise up his voice." Joshua interrupted, putting both of his hands behind his back. "Show them, Neku."

"Er, sure." Neku opened his mouth and held his breath before saying, "How's this?"

Immediately, the two girls sprung back. "W-what was that? That's way too real. How could you do that? That's like impossible for a guy?"

"Oh, I taught him a little vocal trick. It's really not a big deal. If he keeps using that trick, it should be able to trick people long enough before they realize it." the pale-haired boy answered smugly yet vaguely.

"What is this trick?" Eri asked pensively.

"That, is a secret, my friend." he answered coyly, raising a finger to his lips.

"But it's impossible for a boy to have a voice normally that high!" Eri exclaimed.

"Nothing's impossible." Joshua replied back.

"Well, that get rids of the vocal problem. Now, the shoes." Shiki answered nervously, knowing too fully well of the evidence of the Composer's work. She turned to the end of the bed where she left her bag and pulled out a small black box. She removed the lid to reveal two black high-heel sandals.

"This should be your size. I dunno, I saw your shoe size labeled on those goofy shoes you always wear." the pink-haired girl said, gesturing to him. "Come on, try them on."

With Joshua trailing behind him, Neku walked towards the shoes and slowly inserted his feet into them. He felt elevated and unbalanced. The boy struggled to walk in them.

"Try walking around the room and getting used to it." one of the girls suggested.

Slowly, Neku staggered across the room. The heels made him wobble a lot and he often felt like he was going to fall. Well, he did fall a couple of times if it weren't for Joshua catching his back. After about twenty minutes of practice, he finally mastered it or at least, in his opinion. Eri started complaining how his style was way too stiff and to make it more natural but Neku just flipped her off.

"Well, is he ready for the outside?" Joshua asked.

"We are supposed to meet Beat and Rhyme in about fifteen minutes." Shiki said, taking out her cell phone and checking the time.

"Let's head down, then and get this over with." Neku said, now determined, balling his hands up into fists.

So, the four head out the door with Neku feeling more determined and energized than ever. That is, until he forgot about the stairs. He paled as he looked down. Never before, he had been so afraid of stairs. The Composer smirked and turned to him.

"Let me help." the pale-haired boy said before wrapping one arm around Neku's waist to steady him. The other blushed and spluttered angrily as Joshua helped him go down the stairs. The two girls stood by at the bottom, silently laughing. Neku felt so embarrassed. Even more than that time when Shiki took off his shorts in the middle of the street.

The orange-haired boy felt even more mortified after Joshua's hand slid down and rested on his ass, halfway down.

Well, fuck. If this is what Joshua was going to do in public, he, Neku Sakuraba, is so screwed.

* * *

1. No joke there. I have an extremely big goldfish which is bigger than my freaking hand. I think it's because of the food. It has steroids, I tell you!

This is one of the longer chapters I have written. Yay. But, I must say so myself, Neku can make a dress look good. Next chapter is part two of the final part of Neku's career of modeling. Review and make me happy, please!


	11. Filler with an IMPORTANT Note

….Whoa, bet you didn't see this coming.

BY THE WAY, as for the next final chapter, it may or may not come in two weeks. More information about the final chapter is at the bottom of this filler. If you don't want to read the filler, it is recommended that you skip it and read the information on the bottom if you're still wondering about the main story plot.

Disclaimer: You can't sue someone awesome like me. Well, I don't own TWEWY anyway so…I guess I'm not as awesome…um….well, this is awkward. I don't own FF either.

Warning: Crack is involved but crack is still good. Some Neku-bashing but that's okay, I still love him. :3 BTW, note that this filler has nothing to do with the story. Well, it kinda does but at the same time, it doesn't. Umm…yeah, just read it.

/

_Set Somewhere Around the Time During the Week Before The Bet Started…And Also the Reason Why Neku Can't Earn Money to Pay for His Own Damn Headphones And Get Revenge From Beat in a Way Where the Orange-Haired Boy Does Not Have His Dignity Raped a Thousand Times in a Bet That Was Probably Materialized From the Minds Of Sick Fangirls With Nothing Else to Do With Their Lives….Gosh, This Is A Really Long And Unnecessary Title, Isn't It?_

It was that pink-haired demon wench's fault. If it wasn't for Eri and her meddling, none of this catastrophe and mess would happen. If it wasn't for Eri and her bitching for him to try on a stupid dress, Neku Sakuraba could've earned enough money to buy some new headphones and a new Mp3. If it wasn't for Eri, Neku could've kept the only job whose boss has more influence over Shibuya than Joshua could ever have. If it wasn't for that stupid wench, Neku wouldn't have been fired from his job in the span of less than forty eight hours. If it wasn't for Eri, this stupid bet could've been cancelled ages ago.

During the week before the bet, Neku thought fast and mentally slapped himself five hundred and thirty four times for accepting a bet with the world's biggest idiot. He was trapped in a corner. If he backed down from the bet for the sake of his dignity, he would probably still lose his dignity because he just lost by default against the world's dumbest monkey. If he went on with the bet, there was always a way, ALWAYS SOME WAY, pictures of him in cute little stockings and petticoats will be posted on the huge ass screen on the Q building. In either way, Neku's dignity is brutally raped and savagely killed with an axe labeled, "Hahaha, I hate you too, Neku Sakuraba. By the way, YOU SUCK. Also, you are totally not as cool as Cloud Strife. Oh, did I hurt your feelings? Hahaha, you SUCK."

Killing himself would probably force him into another Game and he'd probably get sexually harassed by the Composer. Neku Sakuraba was out of options. What could Neku do?

Then it hit him. Neku…could take a job. He could earn his own money to buy his own headphones and Mp3 back. He knew the perfect guy.

Mr. H.

The only guy who could keep Josh in place. The only guy who understood Neku's thoughts. He's the mind behind CAT. Plus, he's such a laid back and nice guy. He SHOULD have a job for Neku. Neku knew Mr. H was too much of a nice guy to let him down.

As for calling the bet off, screw his dignity. He will be working for Mr. H, the real guy behind CAT. Mr. H might as well be a god. Well…he's a fallen angel but still. It beats becoming a Barbie girl any day. Besides, Neku would get his revenge against Beat who, without a doubt, would tease him for calling off the bet. The headphone-less boy knew how much Beat treasured this place. It was the only place in all of friggin Shibuya that gave him curry for free and he, Neku Sakuraba, as a worker of the establishment, can happily deny Beat that privilege.

Neku rubbed his hands evilly, in an out-of-character manner. He smirked to himself. He just had to play it safe and try not to reveal to others that he will not, in any way, participated in the bet.

The next day, Mr. H complied pretty easily and welcomed him warmly.

"Just…you know…I don't really know what you could help with…Hmm….Oh yes! I could probably make more money and have more opening hours here at the café if you can stand by the register. I usually have to attend some meetings and Josh is waaayyy too lazy to help me." Sanae instructed. He guided Neku over behind the cash register and spent a half an hour, explaining the menu, prices, and recipes for some simple coffee drinks. Sanae, however, had a few basic rules.

Rule 1: Sorry, Phones, but I take this rule very seriously. Don't, I repeat, don't touch my beans, yes, MAH BEANS, with your hands unless you washed them and put two pairs latex gloves over them. Yes, you read that right. I take my beans seriously.

Rule 2: I am not responsible for any trauma or loss of pride or virginity (take your pick) if Joshua decides to somehow miraculously wake up from his beauty sleep, sees you, and jumps you from behind.

Rule 3: Make sure you arrive at the WildKat at ten and your shift ends at five. If Joshua is true to his word, which I'm pretty sure he's not but, let him be, he should take over.

Rule 4: Try not to scowl at customers. What Joshua and I've been observing is that you have this default reaction towards people. I'm not sure if you realize it but half of the people affected by this are either intimidated (No, Phones, this is not good, it makes me lose customers) or somehow turned on (Really, what kind of sick person gets turned on by a scowl? Wait, never mind...). So for your safety from provoked people and sick pedophiles and fangirls, please, try not to scowl. Control yourself.

Rule 5: Have fun, Phones. Don't take this job too seriously. Just make sure I don't get robbed and make some money, alright? Feel free to take a bathroom break whenever you feel like it. Not many people come to this café anyway.

Rule 6: Probably the most important rule of all. Please, be nice. I can't stress this enough. BE NICE. Do not say the first thing that comes to mind.

0.o.0.o.0.

Neku tapped his fingers rhythmically against the clean and clear marble counter and looked around, leaning on his left arm. The WildKat café was deserted but clean. Stylishly designed lights hanged overhead. The walls were painted a simple but rich color of red with streaks of orange and yellow, making the café seem almost homely. Of course, small pictures of graffiti art by CAT were hung strategically around the café to be examined by observing eyes or ignored by the general public. Many small plain brown but glossed coffee tables with complementary equally stylish chairs littered the place artfully. How can a chair be stylish anyway? Well, it was CAT who owned the café and made sure that the place lived up to his creative name. Of course, no one knew that except Neku. The orange-haired boy stared at the glass door expectantly as if, expecting someone to walk through. Neku smiled and tinkered with the cash register on his left for a few moments before turning to lean back against the counter, looking to his right. It was one of those refrigerated clear display cases. He remembered faintly of seeing these in bakeries. This was the place where cakes were displayed, usually next to the counter or cash register. Guess Mr. H managed to scrap some money for one. The refrigerated display case was filled with pastries such donuts and muffins.

There was a back door, the storage room, to his left and the classic kitchen styling in front of him. It was clean and spotless and was mostly occupied with coffee machines and such. Overall, it was clean and seemed easy enough to use. After all, not many people stop by here anyway. The rules were easy to follow. His pay per hour was ten dollars which was pretty good. **(1)** In order not to cause convenience with Mr. H's private matters, the two agreed to have Mr. H pay Neku at the end of the week. One perk to the job was Joshua was nowhere in sight though Neku could have sworn that he heard some faint snoring behind the storage room door. The orange-haired boy assumed safely that the Composer was taking his daily beauty nap.

Seeing that there were no customers in sight, Neku took out a barstool from under the counter and whipped out a _Final Fantasy!_ Magazine.

"Hmm…._Cloud caught in yet another sex scandal! This time, with, not Tifa, but Zack! Gasp! Both Aeris, Tifa, Sephiroth, Reno, Vincent are steaming mad! Not to mention, Leon a.k.a Squall Leonhart is dead pissed! How will Cloud get himself out of this dilemma!_ Great, another stupid tabloid." Neku grumbled as he reached over to the small dingy radio on the other side of the cash register and turned it on.

Neku leaned against his left arm and began to read his tabloid magazine in a bored manner. An hour passed by without customers and the orange-haired boy was reading an interview of how _Tidus, Star Of The Zanarkand Abes! Yuna, Famed Summoner And Singer! How They Found Love With Each Other! _He was in the middle of reading about Tidus badmouthing his "old man" for the umpteenth time when he heard the door swing open.

The boy looked up to see an all too familiar brown-haired girl. Remembering that she was the start of his misery, he threw her a cold look.

"Shiki."

"H-hey, Neku." Shiki stuttered nervously as she fidgeted under his cold stare.

"What do you want?" Neku turned his attention away from his magazine and addressed the poor girl.

"I-I didn't know you worked here." She tried to smile innocently.

Neku snorted and crossed his arms. "Today I start working. If it wasn't for a small birdie that started blabbering things, a monkey wouldn't have been attracted, and I wouldn't be stuck working here for my own money for my headphones and Mp3."

Shiki let out a small forced laugh sheepishly as she walked over to the counter. She knew she had to change the topic quickly. "I'll take a house blend."

The boy scowled before rolling his eyes. "That would be 680 yen."

Relieved that Neku didn't press further in the problem, the girl happily fished out some money from her green jacket and placed it on the marble counter.

"Give me a minute, Shiki." Neku instructed before turning around and flipping the switch on one coffee machine. He walked over to a nearby sink, washed his hands, and put some hand sanitizer before pulling out some latex gloves. Shiki stared at him blankly as she watched her friend then apply another pair of latex gloves over the previous latex gloves.

"Umm…you need to do all of that to handle coffee beans? Even when they're already powder?"

Neku looked at her with a solemn expression and nodded. "Yup."

He placed a coffee filter in the filter basket of the coffee maker and put a few teaspoons of grinded coffee beans in the machine. He added some water to the mixture and wait for it to brew. **(2) **A couple minutes later, it was done and he handed her the coffee and she thanked him and that was that.

During his shift, Neku managed to serve various people. Teenagers, business people, and hobos.

Beat and Rhyme

_"Yo! YO! Yo! Don't know that you worked here, Phoneless! Ha! Hit me up with some curry, yo!"_

_"No."_

_"Bwahaaaa? B-but…my curry…."_

_"Screw you."_

_"Neku, don't say that to Beat. That's not nice."_

_"Rhyme, I'll give you this bag of sugar cookies for free if you shut up now."_

_"I feel kinda evil but sure! Thanks, Neku!"_

Sho Minamimoto

_"What the hell? What are you doing here?"_

_"None of your business, hectopascal! Make me a pancake with the circumference of 56.3451 centimeters and a circle area of 145.234 centimeters squared!"_

_"…I can't make that!"_

_"ARE YOU SO OUT OF YOUR VECTOR THAT YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND A SIMPLE MATH EQUATION?"_

_"Stop yelling at me with that damn megaphone!"_

_"So zetta stupid…and slo-"_

_"Get out, Grim Heaper!"_

After a surprisingly tired shift, Neku walked home from Cat Street and decided to use his computer out of boredom. He stumbled upon something.

"Hey, Mr. H didn't tell me that the café had a website. Let's see…." The website was basic, really. It had a motto, its location, reviews, and whatnot. Then, Neku looked at the forums. None of them really caught his eye until, "_Reviews about the New Barista, Neku._ Did someone start this?"

After clicking the link, Neku was blown over by how many people commented on it. It went something like this:

How do you feel about the new barista in charge of WildKat? Personally, I'm not sure if I should be happy or devastated.

_-A doubtful humanitarian._

I think he a jerk. He deny me my curry!

_-Skatebored dude._

I think Neku is doing a wonderful job as a barista. He's efficient. There's no reason to hate on him just because he denied you curry.

_-Mr. Mew's Seamstress._

Hey, if Neku does stumble upon this, I think you should smile some more. You'd be prettier like that, you know? Anyway, do you like blue or pink? Sorry to steer off topic, but seriously, Neku! Shiki told me that you agree with her request! You like blue or pink?

_-A restless fashion designer (Eri)._  
P.S. Answer soon!

Yo, Eri! LOL. That's something. PICK PINK! Phones' one of my close frends but he went over teh line! DENYING ME MAH CURREY! That a crime, man! A crime!

_-Skatebored dude._

We shouldn't hate on Neku like this. I could see why he denies him his curry. After all, Neku WAS dragged in a stupid bet because of my brother. I would go with blue, Eri.

_-Skulls Jr._  
P.S. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Hmm, yeah. Blue would look good on Neku. Go for blue, Eri. Mr. Mew agrees with me.

_-Mr. Mew's Seamstress._  
P.S. Really, Beat, although I kinda want to thank you for spilling drinks over Neku's headphones and all and forcing him to model for me and Eri, I also want to strangle you because now, Neku doesn't want to talk to me.

What? How you guys know it was me? Why u all disagreeing with me? Pink would look tite on Phones! ROFLMAO. Remember, u guys! Imma win this bet and my yen so why u caring so much for Phones?

_-Kinda Pissed Skatebored dude._

"Skatebored dude?" Could you please, fix your spelling and grammar? Or at least, make an effort. What on earth is going on here?

_-Now confused humanitarian._

I apologize for my brother's grammar but don't blame him, please. Oh, we're just talking about some silly bet that Beat managed to rope Neku into doing. It's nothing that you should be worried about. Although…I'm starting to think Neku took this job just so he could get revenge on Beat. But, maybe, that's just me.

_-Sheepish Skulls Jr._

Eh, yeah, now that I think about it, blue WOULD look good on Neku! Sorry I can't help you on your quest for revenge, Beat! Thanks for the suggestion anyway! So, should I start with the dress or the turtleneck thing?

_-Inspired future fashion designer._

I would go with the turtleneck combination because Neku is going to hit the roof if you try forcing him in a dress. I would save that for later, I guess.

_-Mr. Mew's Seamstress._  
P.S. Eri, please don't let your ambition take over your head. Think of Neku's dignity too.

HECTOPASCAL! HOW DARE HE DENY ME PANCAKES! HE'S SO NOT ZETTA COOL! GOSH! 3.1415926535897!

_-Very Angry and Not Proportionally Satisfied Customer_

Get out, you. Nobody likes you.

_-Now irritated humanitarian._  
P.S. Really, no one likes you.

"Now Irritated humanitarian?" You just offended three quarters of the female population at my school. Although Sho is one crazy maniac, many of my classmates find him "irresistible" and "hot." You better either take your comment down or hope my classmates don't stumble upon this forum. They'll go for blood.

_-Shocked Seamstress._

HA! Take that, you anonymous son of a digit! What? You angry that I insulted that stupid hectopascal? Aww…did I insult your boyfriend? By the way, what the factor is this? What is my ears hearing about something about Neku dressing up as a lady?

_-Zetta Awesome Guy Who Can Factorize WAY better than that factoring hectopascal!_

Why is there a guy using so many math terms on this forum? Urgh…my head hurts. And what were we talking about again? Wait, oh yeah. So, a turtleneck and a skirt?

_-Somewhat confused but still inspired and awesome fashion designer._

Ha! That funny! Seein' Phones in a skirt is some funny shit! Make dat pink too!

_-Skateboard dude._  
P.S. Neku, if you readin' this, give me my curry, godammit!

Wow, haters going to hate. Well, what was the point of this forum again?

_-Skulls Jr.  
_P.S. Weren't we talking about Neku's performance as the new barista?

Hmm…we were, weren't we? By the way, if you (you know who I'm talking to) are not able to answer to the forum, it's because I banned you. I can't stand illiterate people. Much less of people who have to use a math term every two sentences or so.

_-Pondering humanitarian who is, in fact, NOT a "factoring hectopascal."_

Don't call me stupid or much but…ain't this forum public?

_-Skatebored dude._

...Crap.

_-Panicked Seamstress._

Oh my, I quite forgot about that. Why, yes, yes it is. :)

_-Not-so surprised humanitarian.  
_P.S. You astound me with your sudden boost of intelligence. I will tell Konishi later to raise your status from chimp to psychologically challenged human.

Why the hell are you people talking about me on this stupid forum anyway? And no, Beat, no curry for you. Eri! Wasn't there some unspoken rule that this modeling event is PRIVATE?

_-Pissed Off Barista._

Well, as far as I'm concerned…Nope! Wait…shit.

_-Fleeing Fashion Designer._

YOU EVIL, PHONES! EVIL!

_-Pissed off Skatebored dude_.  
P.S. Who the hell is 'Konhi' anyway? And I ain't no chimp. I'm human, yo! Let it rip, Beatwagon!

Neku, let's talk about this for a minute. After all, a problem shared is a problem halved!

_-Wary Skulls Jr._

Hell no. I'm sorry but I thought it was unspoken that this bet was between us. Now, that Eri started this whole damn thing and Sho gotten an earful about it, he's bound to spill the beans to rest of the people who haven't heard about it already! GODAMMIT! Why the hell did I take this stupid job in this coffee shithouse anyway?

_-Still Very Pissed Off Barista.  
_P.S. When I get my hands on you, Eri and Beat, you will be wishing for death. As soon as I find out Sho, I'll hunt his ass down too. Rhyme, you just earned yourself a cookie ban. For a month. Shiki, for actually suggesting ideas of what am I to wear, I swear, I will make this bet as _painful as possible_.  
P.S.S. Someone tell me how to shut down this stupid ass forum or I'll report it to the administrator of this damn website.

Ha! Make me, Phones! XD

_-Skatebored dude laughing his ass off._

Hello?

_-Skatebored dude._

Dude, Phones, I know you're pissed but…

_-Skatebored dude._

Eri?

_-Skatebored dude._

Damn it, you guys!

_-Skatebored dude._

HELLO.

_-Skatebored dude._

Phones, I got you a new set of headphones if it make you talk to me.

_-Skatebored dude._

No seriously. I did.

_-Skatebored dude._

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I'll even take that human-whathisname for someone to talk to.

_-Skatebored dude._

Beat, even if you got me new headphones, they wouldn't be the same. They would probably be some cheap imitation. Nothing can ever replace my headphones. I'm still trying to figure out how to shut down this forum. For some reason, the administrators aren't answering.

_-Now Annoyed But Still Pissed Barista._

Humanitarian, monkey, humanitarian.

_-Somewhat Aggravated Humanitarian_.  
P.S. I retract my previous complimenting statement about you.  
P.S.S. This is a lovely forum. You have no need to shut it down.

I hate you all. The people on this forum and the ones looking at the forum. To hell with all the people with a fetish for coffee!

_-So Pissed Barista That He'll Abuse Cuss Words For All They're Worth_

What is all the talk about putting dresses and bets and such? Is this some sick figurative joke? And how dare you insult the people with a passion for coffee! That's inhuman! You're not such a good barista, aren't you? F you to, not the high heavens, but hell. F, in not Fabulous but the other meaning! My princely aura is deeply offended.

_-An Angry Potential Customer a.k.a. PRINCE_

0.o.0.o.0.

Unfortunately, Neku, being too pissed to realize that he just offhandedly turned many potential customers away with his rage, had still not figured out how to shut down the stupid forum. By the time, when he somehow miraculously managed to shut down the forum, many people started a new forum called, "WE HATE THE NEW BARISTA." So much for being private.

While feeling relieved that everyone thought that the bet was just some joke, the orange-haired boy was horrified. Unfortunately, so was Sanae. Somehow, over the span of that one night with Neku verbally attacking his job and the customers, some really pissed off people managed to break into the café and rip open every coffee bean bag before spreading the beans across the floor in a pattern which spelled, "FIRE NEKU." Ironically, they stole no money.

Neku felt like he could cry when Sanae, for the first time in his life, yelled at him.

_"Phones, I really expected better of you. I mean, badmouthing my café and customers behind my back? You lost your temper really bad there. And my coffee beans! M-my precious beans! How could you, Phones? How could you?"_

It was tragic for the two of them. Sanae tearfully fired Neku and wept over the loss of "his precious beans." Neku tearfully wept over his only chance of fixing his problem and a decent job. The orange-haired boy had no choice but to follow up with the bet.

While all of this was happening, in the storage room, Joshua giggled slightly under his breath as he did not expect such juicy information coming from his proxy's darling friends. He knew about the bet but he did not expect for the others to elaborate on it quite much. Although the Composer still did not know a lot about the bet, he still was grateful for the information he gathered from one simple innocent forum. He was especially grateful to Eri who launched the topic in the first place.

Joshua probably spare Neku from the false belief that the general population of Shibuya hates him. After all, as the Composer, he should care for residents, especially his proxy which is why Joshua took the liberty of imprinting everyone's minds to forget the forum but...he decided to let Neku have his moment of panic.

As for the forum shutdown problem, there are some perks of being the website's ONLY administrator.

Joshua let out a short giggle.

/

1. I know nothing about hourly wages.

2. Call me stupid but how the hell do you operate a coffee machine anyway?

**The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth: **After so long, I bet all of you people are out to murder me. Well, at least, these update shows that I'm not dead and it gives you hope, yes? I'm not going to give you crap about having a writer's block or anything and the truth is…I lost interest in TWEWY. Yup. A writer's block leads to lack of interest. Anyway, how I got back to this story stems from my cousin's friend's cousin's friend who miraculously found a picture of Neku and Shiki , raved it to my cousin's friend's cousin who then raved it to my cousin's friend who then told my cousin about it. Then, my cousin suddenly remembered my seemingly abandoned story and told me to haul ass to my computer and write again. So, here I am. Back from the dead.

As for the update for the final chapter, thanks to my cousin, I am planning to write the final chapter as of right now and it would probably be delivered in two weeks. HOWEVER, I have something to ask you my fellow readers:

**Do you still have faith to this story?**

I am not going to lie. After over a year, I wouldn't be surprised if most of you gave up on this story. Hell, even me, the authoress, did. Even as of right now, I'm trying to refresh my memory of the game I once loved and I'm being motivated solely by my cousin's threats. Which is why I made this quota: **If you readers think my story is still worth continuing, I want at least 10 reviews (a.k.a. up to 78 reviews) from you readers. If I do receive that, it is a FULL GUARANTEE that the final chapter you asked for a year ago will arrive TWO WEEKS FROM NOW. If I don't, well….unless I can make my own source of motivation (likeliness is not too high), the final chapter will not come. **I want to know if you readers still have hope for this story. Because if you don't, neither will I cuz I'm a people pleaser like that...as well as a selfish asshole/attention whore.


	12. Two Weeks of Stupidity

Well, all of you people…. Thanks for reviewing and being with this crappy story till the end! I'd like to thank anyone who read, review, put a story alert, favorite this story. You're all awesome in my book. BY THE WAY, anyone going to the AX on July 1-4? IMMA GOING! It's my second time going and it's going to be awweeeessome. I'm going on the Friday, Sunday, and Monday.

**Some Important notes:**

**Wah, my scrolling bar looks smaller. **Good, you're looking at twenty six pages of pure awesomeness, crack, unnecessary shit, saliva, and time spent on Microsoft Word.

**You LIED!** I apologize for the lateness. I was trying to make this chapter as long as possible but when I was closing the progress down for the day, when I wasn't looking, my mom came along and deleted it. Yes, she knows how to use a computer. However, she does not know that my story was on a FLASH DRIVE. You have no clue how much that pissed me off. I could not restore it and I have to rewrite…again. My mom calls it, "I'm doing a favor for you by taking that story off your hands." …And I was so close to writing the end too…so I had to rewrite 25 pages of this story. I apologize of some parts seem rushed.

**Crack?** Of course, my pretties. Pass these crack cookies around. I baked them just yesterday.

**On an even more important note**: I'd like to thank _Chronos Mephistopheles_, _mochiusagi_, _totallycraz4anime_, _orangeducttape_, _flairina_, _Animeluver4evertimes2_, _Frostii_, _Fenriz_, _Lega_, _Nayunari 'Ayu' Tsuki_, and _m33p01 _for gracing me with their lovely words and presences, reenergizing me to finish this story up with the finale it deserves, once and for all. You guys all deserve cake. Take these crack cakes; they're fresh from the oven.

**Warning: **I want to act like a storyteller who tells the events to make it seem as warm and sweet sounding and informative as possible. Unfortunately, now that I reread this…my crack phase has appeared. A lot. I apologize.

Disclaimer: I don't own TWEWY or manga. Or obscure Pokemon references. Or Yu-Gi-Oh. Or poptarts. Or Shinjuku or Minato. I just own my OCs.

/

Mr. Mew's Psychology

The black-haired stuffed cat sat on a desk, facing the "crowd." He waved one stump of an arm at the "crowd." Mr. Mew nodded before making gestures with his hand. _Hello there, people. Do you remember me? I'm here to update my dictionary of people analyzing as shown in the intermission before. I will tell you my new updated definition of Neku. Apparently, seeing how these events unfold in the last weeks, Neku has somewhat changed my opinion of him. I shall speak now of him. _Mr. Mew placed his paws in his lap as he continued. _Before, in my opinion, I thought that Neku was your average emo Cloud-wannabe who couldn't have enough balls to face reality itself. However now, I see this boy as a strong young person, able to withstand the horrors of cross-dressing and dresses for two weeks, and in public too no less. Also, with this new data, it crosses my mind that Neku is a secret closet gay who loves nothing more than to cuddle up with the Composer, the poster child and idol of gay people everywhere. Although he will never be the man his mother was, he can accomplish and jump over many obstacles in his life for the sake of money and friends when he's forced. I'm Mr. Mew, a young doctor with a PhD in psychology, reporting out. Farewell,, my fellow friends. _Mr. Mew waved goodbye.

0.o.0.o.0.

It was an extraordinarily sunny day in the ever so busy city of Shibuya. People bustled and shoved others to the ground to get to their destination. Ah, yes. It was perfectly normal. It was not quiet but just the same-

"Ow! Stop it already, Eri!" Neku scowled in his fake voice, rubbing his throbbing cheeks. The happy fashion designer just pinched his cheeks for the fifth time outside. They were waiting in front of the Hachiko Statue. The Bito siblings were not here yet.

"You're ugly."

"Excuse me?" Neku stopped leaning against the statue to turn to the pink-haired girl in an indignant manner. He squirmed a little under her intense gaze and pulled the blue fabric down more over his knees.

Eri shook her head in a disapproving way before glaring at him. "Smile, girl. Smile. And stop pulling on your dress. It's not going to get magically longer."

The fashion designer should have really expected no less when the dress clad boy stuck his middle finger at her. Shiki giggled lightly as Neku did a very unladylike gesture. It was so contrasting with his whole appearance and screwed up voice. Her laughter died away quickly when the boy swiveled his unnerving glare onto her.

"Where is Beat and Rhyme anyway? They were supposed to meet us ten minutes ago." Neku questioned out loud, looking both ways for the two. There was a massive horde of people walking both ways but the two siblings were nowhere in sight. The orange-haired boy sighed, thinking that he shouldn't be too surprised if Beat got distracted by food on the way here.

"You seem quite eager today. Ready to show off your new threads?" Joshua hopped off the statue and patted the boy lightly on the back.

"Shut up, gay boy." Neku retorted effortlessly before turning to ignore the Composer.

"Hypocrite." Shiki murmured under her breath.

"What did you say? Because if-"

"Nothing!"

Neku did not press into the matter and found it surprising that no one so far had questioned his gender. He sighed in relief. He guessed that Eri's and Shiki's handiwork on his face and clothing was a success. He was not proud that he was put in a feminine piece of clothing but he was relieved that nobody recognized him. The fact that his mother went out to buy some clothes was a plus. He did not need his mother to see him like this. The prospect of his mother seeing him like this made him queasy. The fact that Eri and Joshua will probably make him stay out here much longer than "two hours" threw him over the edge. His stomach turned unpleasantly, prompting to let out an emotionally melancholic noise.

"What's wrong, dear?" Joshua immediately noticed the other sighing as if he was displeased with something.

"I don't feel so good." The other mumbled. The Composer rolled his eyes. He could sense that the boy was just unnecessarily pessimistic. Again. For the umpteenth time. Smirking, he decided to do something else. Joshua softly raised his hand and stroked Neku's face gently, relishing the scarlet face he brought onto the other.

"I think you feel good. It's smooth….Like velvet." Joshua whispered in an unnecessarily sultry voice. He resisted the urge to burst out laughing when Neku spluttered out indignantly and shoved him away immediately. He almost tripped on his heels. The Composer shook his head disapprovingly.

"Neku, walk like a lady. Right now, you're walking like a bloated elephant."

"I don't walk like a lady because I'm not one!"

"With that attitude, anyone could tell that you're male within being five minutes in your presence. I must teach you some more feminine rules to mask your masculinity."

"Are you trying to say something about us girls?" Eri turned her head, offended at Joshua's statement. Neku ignored the somewhat sexist statement before shooting him a deadpanned look.

"Oh, you _would _know how to act like a lady, Josh."

The four waited for five minutes longer then finally, a familiar beanie boy appeared with his complementary little sister tagging behind him.

"Yo! Yo! YO! What's up, yo!"

"Hey there, everyone!"

Neku couldn't help but smile at Rhyme's little wave gesture. It did not last though. He threw an irritated look in Beat's direction. The dumbass was late.

"You're late, Beat."

Beat guffawed loudly. "Heh, I saw the most bestest skateboard I have seen in mah life, yo!"

Neku's irritation melted away and he nodded knowingly. His blue eyes glowed with smirking mirth. Beat had the attention span of a fly when it came to skateboards. Wait, Neku took that back. Beat never had a very focused attention span overall. "Alright, you're off the hook this time, Beat."

"Thanks, Phones. Wait, you're not Phones! Who the heck is this chick?" Beat pointed an accusing finger in surprise at the "chick" in front of him. His crappy memory failed him. Said "chick" sighed in irritation and glanced at Joshua. The Composer nodded and twitched his fingers slightly.

"It's me, you dumbass." Neku replied in his normal bored and deep voice.

"Bwhaaa?" as expected, Beat's reaction was total shock and disbelief before turning into guffaws and incoherent gibberish. "Y-you….dress?...Bwahahaha! Aww, Phones, you killing me!" It was amazing of how fucking thick Beat's skull was.

"Why do I even try…?"

"Well, that's good, right? If you were able to fool Beat, you can fool everyone else. You almost fooled me too." Rhyme piped up optimistically. However, Neku did not feel less unnerved.

"This is Beat. He can be fooled by pretty much almost anything."

"Hey! I can hear you!"

"Anyway, let's get this over with already. People are starting to stare at us." Neku commented, nonchalantly ignoring the other's outburst.

"Why you ignorin' me?"

"I find it amusing that despite the disadvantage our lovely 'Sora' is at right now; she managed to still gain the upper hand with little effort." Joshua teased lightly, making Beat complain boisterously.

Neku cleared his throat impatiently and tapped one high heeled foot rapidly. "Are we going to leave now? I want to get this bet done and over with."

"Ha! I bet you won't even last an hour, Phones! That yen is MINE!"

"I plan not to lose, Beat."

"Well, neither do I, Phones! I already know what I'm gonna do with that amount!"

"I already knew what I wanted to buy since day One."

"Aww, shaddup, Phones."

"Says you."

The two boys glared at each other, willing for the other to lose. A lot of yen was on the line after all. Shiki tried to thin the tension between them.

"H-hey, anyone hungry? I could go for some late lunch! It's two after all!"

Eri pumped an energetic fist in the air before bursting out in happiness. "Yes! We go to Ramen Don first! I'm starving!"

The group started to walk into the familiar busy Scramble Crossing. Ten minutes later, they reached Dogenzaka. After exchanging greetings with Ken Doi and waiting for a couple minutes, the six were eating. Nothing interesting happened when they were eating. Nobody looked at them as if the group were out of the ordinary. Joshua was still making his weird sounds with the shio ramen while Beat was arguing with Ken Doi of "What the hell? What kind of restaurant does NOT have curry? FUCKIN' CURRY, MAN!" After some yelling from the owner, Rhyme pacified both of them and brought Beat back and the two joined eating as well. Eri was busy picking all the carrots out of her rice and placing them neatly in a napkin. Neku made sure to take _painful _advantage of Shiki's promise of free shio ramen for a month. Shiki could almost hear her wallet wailing pitifully as she bought Neku his fourth bowl of shio ramen.

"You're the best, Shiki." Neku smiled warmly as he wolfed down another bowl of his favorite food. He knew quite well that Shiki's wallet was suffering painfully. He laughed mentally in cruel glee. The other customers stared in awe as the seemingly skinny "girl" gobbled down another bowl before wiping her mouth quietly. Joshua shook his head disapprovingly and turned away from his food to try cajoling the boy to eat more ladylike. The Composer only received a look that clearly said, "Screw off, pansy."

The glasses girl looked at her own bowl of food then back at Neku. She felt a pang of envy. Neku's rapid metabolism prevented him from getting fat any time soon.

Shiki glanced at Joshua. She was not really sure of where Neku stood with Joshua but she was sure that they went through a lot. After all, Joshua managed to draw emotions out of Neku that even she could not bring out. People thought that Shiki was the first one to bring out emotions like caring and love out of the antisocial boy and she is happy to take credit for that but Joshua brought out some of the more stronger emotions that Shiki could never bring out.

Neku's relationship with Joshua impacted him the most. Joshua was someone he thought he could relate to and with some difficulty, Neku was able to learn how to accept and trust him. However, Joshua shattered those feelings during the last Week. Shiki could never forget Neku's expression. It showed everything that Neku never showed on his face. It impacted him so much that Neku started crying; something that Shiki could've never brought out. However, despite the circumstances, Neku couldn't bring himself to shoot and kill Joshua. That was a sign that Neku, indeed, cared for him.

The brown-haired girl took some small bites of her food and nodded solemnly to herself. The chances of Neku and Joshua getting together are pretty big. She closed her eyes then sighed.

"Oi, Shiki. Something wrong?" Neku asked in a concerned manner. When Shiki started to look around wildly in confusion at the sudden question, the boy threw her a blank and knowing look. "…Should've expected it."

The six continued to eat in silence before Beat got really bored. He was really, really, really bored. He didn't have enough money to buy another bowl and he didn't want to ask Eri or Rhyme for money. He was still hungry and he only had rice after eating the meat. Everyone knows that you can't eat plain rice without CURRY. So, he drummed his chopsticks on the table until Neku told him to quit it. The skateboarder leaned against the table before slowly smirking as an idea formed to mind. Taking his chopsticks and picking up some rice, he flicked it at Neku's head. A soft audible _pat _was heard as it made contact with Neku's cheek. Blue eyes turned at his attacker in confusion.

"Beat, what are you doin- Stop it!" Neku guarded his face with his arms as Beat flicked some more rice at his face. The orange-haired boy felt his arms being pelted with sticky rice. This continued for a few more times before Neku scrunched up a napkin and threw it at Beat's head aggressively.

"Yeah, now we talking, Phones!" Beat crowed energetically as he flicked more rice with his chopsticks. Neku tried to aim another napkin at Beat's head but the cloth landed in Shiki's bowl. The girl gasped in surprise before giggling and throwing a soy sauce packet at Neku. He laughed and elbowed Joshua by accident who in turn poked him in the cheek with his one of his chopsticks. Soon, Eri joined in and she and Beat teamed up to flick rice at Neku. In the midst of all this, Rhyme, being the good girl she was, was sweet and content, eating her soba noodles.

"Take the rice like a true Asian, you! Take it like you live in Japan!" **(1)** Eri hollered loudly as she flicked more white rice at Neku who guarded his head and threw a scrunched up chopstick wrapper. It was pretty fun, having a mini food fight. That is, until Ken Doi got fed up and threw them out.

0.o.0.o.0.

The group never finished eating but they were lucky enough not to get banned. They decided to head to the 104 Building next. Eri apparently got a text message that the Prince will be gracing his heavenly presence onto the place. Neku expected no less from her when she started squealing and pulling them towards the building. Rhyme dragged Beat into the nearby Wild Boar store when said boy began to get jealous of Eri's stolen attention.

Dragged into the Edoga the Shop, Neku was immediately hit with the casual yet stylish clothing. Just as the text message said, in front of him, the Prince was busy inspecting a pair of tight jeans. To Neku's left, he saw a gaggle of girls hiding conspicuously behind a small clothing rack. They were all staring in admiration and infatuation. Eri and Shiki were no exceptions except they gazed at the Prince out in the open. Neku realized he was going to be stuck here. For some time. Stupid pretty boy idol. How dare Eri compared him to this guy.

The boy decided to use one of the few advantages of using a handbag that Eri oh so conveniently procured out of nowhere and stuck on him as soon as they stepped outside his house. He zipped it open. He scowled when he pulled out a bottle. A makeup remover. He threw it back in and looked through his bag. He was surprised to see his regular shoes, compliments to Eri for a change, and became tempted to wear them while chucking out the heels. However, he refrained and pulled out a manga volume instead. If he was going to be stuck here, he ought to spend his time wisely, updating on his manga. He was glad that they passed by a store that sold manga on the way to Hachiko Statue. He leaned casually against a wall near the exit, opened his book, and delved into the story.

He was so immersed into reading the first few pages that he almost did not hear Joshua's sudden snarky and intentionally detrimental comments.

"Oh? What's this, manga?"

"Shut up, Josh." Neku muttered with his eyes still glued onto the attractive black and white pages.

"Is it a good manga?"

"Yes, quiet now."

"Is it _Loveless_? Heard that was pretty good."

"Never heard of it."

"What about _Junjou Romantica_?"

"What the hell is that?"

"Oh? It's such a fine manga. I thought an otaku like yourself would know."

"I'm not an otaku."

"Says the person who copies hairstyles from manga."

Neku closed his book shut and placed it back in his bag irritably. He reluctantly turned his head to the Composer. The Composer gave him waggish expression in response. Neku opened his mouth to throw back a snide remark of his own until-

"AH! F this! F this to the high heavens!" Eiji Oji has famously 'F'ed yet another thread. In an ostentatious motion, he held up the pair of jeans. As if on cue, the girls cheered him obsequiously. As he set the pair of jeans down, he noticed the group staring at him. Eiji walked towards them before looking at Neku appraisingly.

"That's quite an outfit you have there. What brand is that?" he asked, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Well…"

"It's my design, P-Prince!" Eri blurted out suddenly, bowing in respect. Shiki nodded vigorously.

Eiji grinned warmly before staring at the dress admiringly. He threw his famous white coat over his shoulder. "Quite a simple but demure design. It looks nice. But, it looks like its handiwork was done by a professional. Did you hire someone to make it for you?"

The brown-haired girl's face flushed tenfold as she stuttered incoherently. Shiki pushed the glasses up the bridge of her nose and looked down in embarrassment; fidgeting with Mr. Mew in her arms. Eri was frozen solid, gazing fixatedly at the Prince. Neku sighed and decided to step in.

"My friend, Shiki. She sewed it herself."

Eiji looked surprised before congratulating the two girls by patting them on the backs. "You are both very gifted. I hope to see more of your work in the future. I'll put a good word for you to Makoto, hmm?" With a charming smile, he strutted out of the store with éclat. The girls in the store swooned, enamored by him. Eri and Shiki were no exceptions as they were reduced to a puddle of sighs and whatnot.

As soon as he left, a blur of hot pink went by and snatched up the pair of pants that the Prince just christened. The other girls remonstrated in anger.

Chewing her bubble gum loudly, the girl smirked and glared challengingly to anyone who dare try to take the pants away from her. Protests died out quickly. Neku, Shiki, and Joshua recognized the girl immediately. They watched in trepidation as Uzuki Yashiro walked up to the shop counter, flaunting the holy pants. Eri did not know who Uzuki really is other than the fact that she was the enemy of the Shibuya's White Angels so she turned her nose upwards and dragged Shiki towards another clothing rack. She was determined to ignore the fact that Uzuki won the holy jeans.

Neku sighed before kneeling down to fix his high heels. His heels were crying in anguish. Neku was sure that blisters will blossom soon. Just great. He massaged his heels and was in the process of snapping his heels back on until he saw a pair of white high heel boots click and stop in front of him. Neku did not want to look up. However, to keep the flow of this story, Neku was undoubtedly forced to raise his pretty head to meet eyes with the pink-haired Reaper.

"Well, who's this little kitten…or should I say, tomcat?" she cooed sarcastically.

Neku smoothed his dress and shot her a bored look. "My name is Sora."

Uzuki burst out in snickers. "Your appearance and voice can lie but your horrible and inferior personality is as clear as day."

"I am Sora. You got me confused for someone else...beeyotch." Neku muttered at the end under his breath. Luckily, Uzuki did not hear but she still pressed on. Joshua stifled some amused snorts.

"So…like, why are you dressed up as a girl anyway, kid?"

"I AM a girl." Neku gritted out in response. This bitch was pissing him off.

Uzuki snorted indignantly and crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. "Come on, you're practically famous in the UG. I wouldn't be surprised if the Composer of Shinjuku heard of you. It's the same stupid and smelly aura. It sickens me."

Neku glanced to Joshua, as if, asking, "DO something, you stupid asshole of a god." However, Joshua kept his amused face plastered and did not raise a finger.

Then, as if for the first time, the Reaper noticed Joshua. Her eyes widened in shock. "You're…you're that kid who played the Game….alive. Mr. H said that you were a special case or something."

The Composer flipped his hair out of his eyes casually with a hint of arrogance. "You are correct. I AM special."

"Kinda high and mighty, aren't you? So, why are you here with _Sora_ anyway?"

"I'm able to play and see weekly competitions among the dead while still being alive. That's pretty special, don't you think? Sora reminds me of my dear old partner." Joshua answered with a sugar-coated princely smile. He giggled and twisted a pale lock of hair. He enjoyed messing with people's minds.

Uzuki could see where Joshua earned the nickname, "Petit Prince." Angered at the bold comment, the Reaper made a move to retort but-

"Hey, the beat wagon is back!" boomed a familiar voice. Beat walked back in the store with Rhyme trailing behind him. He looked elated as he carried a skateboard under his arms. Neku could predict the poor skateboard to last at least a week before it breaks under the other's extreme skills. Beat's happy mood was dampened slightly when he saw the familiar Reaper who played with them during Week 3. "Hey there, Pinky. Still with the crazy hair color, I see, yo."

"Leave my hair out of this!"

"Tough, yo."

Letting out an outraged noise, Uzuki bit her lip and stomped her foot in frustration. Neku and Beat glanced at each other in a blank manner while Joshua still beamed in an unsurprised manner. They were not new to the frequent tantrums that Uzuki threw upon them during Week 3. Suddenly, another familiar Reaper stepped into the store.

"Well, those two got you good. Guess you lost the bet, eh, Uzuki?"

"Shut up, Kariya." Uzuki grumbled.

Koki Kariya walked towards them and sucked on his bean paste lollipop casually. He adjusted his shades and nodded faintly in respect towards Joshua before greeting Neku and Beat. He turned to Uzuki who was still in the after moments of her tantrum. "Another free ramen week."

"Ugh!" she moaned in unhappiness and anger.

"Eh, what going on?" Beat asked, befuddled.

Koki grinned and shrugged his shoulders lazily. "Oh, nothing much. We had a little bet. If Uzuki could get Neku to admit that he, indeed, was cross dressing out loud, I would buy her ramen for a month. But if she couldn't, she buys me ramen for a week. She lost." He took another long suck from his amber colored lollipop.

Beat let out a series of guffaws and snickers at Koki's statement, earning a murderous glare from the Pink Reaper.

"To think that you can't win against normal people, how will you survive against normal Players, Uzuki? You'll never get your so-called promotion at this rate." Koki sighed and shook his head in mock disappointment while holding his arms out lazily. The other clenched her fists tightly. Koki took no heed to her mood and continued. "Anyway, I'm starving. Let's get some food."

Uzuki screamed and pointed accusingly at Neku as if, he was the cause of her misery. Well, he was but you know what she meant. Koki shoved his hands inside his parka and grabbed Uzuki by the collar to leave the store. On Koki's way out, Joshua tapped his shoulder before softly whispering in his ear, "That promotion is still open, you know."

Koki smirked and shook his head. "I'm quite satisfied with my position…Yoshiya Kiryu." Then, the two Reapers left. Just like that.

Finally, after a long while, Shiki and Eri came back with a bag full of clothes. The pink haired girl stopped in front of Neku and stared at him like a fish.

Naturally, Neku became unnerved and slowly took a step back. "…What?"

Nobody could see it but the orange haired boy was whimpering and crying inside as Eri rubbed her hands together, chuckling darkly.

"Shiki and I found the kee-yutest outfit ever! And…we want you to try it." She drawled out innocently.

"Wha-what? No!"

"Aw, come on. This is the last day. And I have probably less than one and a half hours to savor it. Have a little pity for a poor fashion designer, Sora. Besides, you and our old model have the same body size. I want to send her dress since I just realize that I never properly thanked her for her contributions. Plus, her birthday is coming up."

"Are you saying that I have a woman body? And what's wrong with making an outfit at home? Where no one can see you?"

"Eh, Michiko never looked that girlish but that's her charm. She's a tomboy. She's got a nice svelte figure with not that many curves but she's a natural. Kinda like you. You're both comely in your own special way, rare in modeling. Shiki was too busy making stuff for you and Michiko's birthday is in a few days. She won't have time to make an outfit. So, like yeah, try it on."

We will skip this part because it is too predicable. To summarize it, Neku protested. Eri pressed on. Beat was too stupid to realize anything but supported Eri. Rhyme supported her brother. Joshua encouraged Neku. Shiki pulled out the sad puppy dog look that sealed the deal. About a couple minutes later, Neku found himself stuck in a dressing room, wearing a puffy blouse and a skirt. It effectively massacred his manly dignity. Surprisingly, our main character did not protest loudly as he twirled for the two girls. He was too busy thinking if he should blame Shiki for being his soft spot, Eri for forcing him to do this, or that Michiko girl who friggin left which implanted the idea in Eri's brain in the first place. After much deliberation, Neku decided to blame Michiko. Wherever that girl was, he cursed her. He cursed her, not to the Prince's beloved high heavens, but to a place where she will be trampled into a pancake by a group of shiny pink unicorns that shits sparkly poptarts. Dear lord, Joshua's influence was rubbing off on him.

Eri was drowning in mirth when the group left the store and headed for Cadoi City. Shiki wanted to shop for some threads at the Natural Puppy store. Upon reaching and entering the store, Neku and Beat literally gagged at the pure _sweetness_ of the store. Beat reluctantly stalked behind Rhyme who wanted to see around the store. The things the skateboarder did for love sometimes…

Joshua cleared his throat and slapped Neku's shoulder.

"What?" Neku questioned in confusion.

"Respect the fashion. I had to wear it during a mission, remember?" Joshua said sternly. "Natural Puppy is quite an influential brand. Their colors are soft on the eyes."

Neku's mouth twitched upwards into a smirk. The Composer twitched his eye in response before sighing wearily. "Sora, if you can't handle it, leave. The store members are starting to stare. No normal girl wrinkles their nose and gags in disgust at possibly the most popular female brand in all Shibuya."

"That's because I'm not a girl."

"Oh, but you don't want people to know that, hmm?"

Joshua had a point. Hikaru Koike, the shop owner, stared at him oddly behind the counter. Neku turned with his orange locks flying behind him to head down to another store. The Composer smiled triumphantly. The two would be alone in Mus Rattus, possibly for more bonding time. Unless-

"I'm going to go down to Le Grand then. The candy sweetness is getting to me. I want to be in the store nearest to the exit when it's time to leave. You coming?" Neku asked bluntly as he walked down the stairs carefully to avoid tripping on his high heels.

The Composer's smile twitched in irritation. Of course, it HAD to be Le Grand. The ONLY store that has a shop keeper who's bi. And flirts with HIS proxy. He opened his mouth to persuade Neku to go for a different store but the dress clad boy was already gone…

The passerby glanced and whispered at the seemingly innocent pale-haired boy, standing in place with a calm and sweet smile. They did not miss the cold and dark aura surrounding him.

Well, fu-

0.o.0.o.0.

"Hey there, hon! What's up?"

Neku nodded politely before going to clothing rack to pretend to inspect some shirts. HT Masuoka leaned against the counter, scrutinizing the customer in his gaze.

The girl had a really slender body. Her orange hair looked sort of natural. The blue dress she was wearing hugged her hips. It didn't look like she had a curved body but the dress did a good job of giving the illusion that it did. The customer's eyes were not exactly pretty. Pretty wasn't the right word. The shopkeeper leaned against his left arm and observed her some more. Her eyes were soulful and…bored. HT Masuoka realized that the whole girl's face, though attractive, was bored and uninterested. He smiled to himself. Her whole being reminded him of that other boy who used to come here. She was attractive like that boy too. Maybe they were siblings or something.

Smirking inwardly, the owner made his move. Stepping out of the counter, he walked towards the "girl." With his hands in his pockets, he greeted her with his most charming smile. "Hey there. Find everything you're looking for?"

The "girl" turned to him and shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Oh yes, this girl was definitely someone interesting to play with.

HT Masuoka put his hands on his hips and grinned eagerly. "You know what would look good on you?" He took out a shirt. "This shirt would flatter your figure pretty well. It's guaranteed to be worth a buy."

For some unknown reason, the "girl" twitched her eye in what looked like irritation before muttering quietly, "I'm fine."

The owner was taken back and he scratched his head sheepishly before stuttering out his apologies. He retreated back behind the counter, observing the comely "girl" from afar.

Meanwhile, Neku continued to stare at a Hip Snake shirt. He did not realize how many stray threads were littered in the seams of the shirt. He stared some more. He was not sure if it was because of Shiki's influence on him or it was because he stared fixatedly at this shirt for more than three minutes.

"Why couldn't you go to a store like Mus Rattus or something?" a voice suddenly asked from nowhere.

Neku jumped slightly and turned in surprise before scowling. "Jeez, Josh, scared the hell out of me, would you?"

Joshua made an exasperated noise before whispering. "Just why this _place_?"

"I told you already. I don't- Wait, are you…paranoid of this place or something?" Neku asked in an incredulous manner. He snickered smugly. A very ironic image considering his whole appearance.

"No, I am not. I simply do not like this place." The Composer hissed venomously. "…Or rather the owner."

Neku snorted softly and crossed his arms. "What's not to like about the store owner? He's just like any other store owner."

The pale-haired boy stared at him blankly. "…Have you not paid attention to his thoughts during the Game?"

"No, I do not. I'm not nosy like you and prod through everyone's privacy and minds."

"Says the person who tried to read MY mind. More than twice." Joshua replied cheerfully. He mock sighed before reaching out and fingering an orange lock. Neku stiffened as he became slightly flustered. Joshua smiled sweetly and turned his eyes fleetingly towards the owner who was doing his best to look discreet. "Anyway, that guy…he likes you…I can tell. I just don't want anyone to steal my dear, dear, proxy away."

"Joshua, stop bitching out nonsense. I can tell the store owner is doing his best to hide his face under his magazine but he's eavesdropping." Neku batted Joshua's hand away.

Sure enough, HT Masuoka was glancing from the magazine to them. Joshua blinked for a moment and turned to the owner to smile charmingly at him. Neku's eyes widened, asking, 'what the hell are you doing?'

With a cute wave, Joshua cocked his head. "Hello there! I would appreciate it if you kindly stopped eavesdropping!"

The effect was almost instantaneous. The owner stuttered and gaped as he dropped the magazine on the cashier counter with frozen hands. Neku frowned and stomped on his foot. Joshua's smug grin was quickly replaced with one of agitation.

"I can hear his thoughts. He sees me as 'that weird kid who bothers the hot one.' He was clearly checking you out. He also believes I have a fetish for stalking orangettes." The Composer crossed his arms and nodded sagely. "Gosh, he is SO off."

Neku gazed at him for a moment before snapping rudely. "You ARE a weird kid. And- Wait, he called me 'hot'?"

For the first time, the orange-haired boy saw the other scowl in response. Then, for some unknown reason, it made him laugh. Neku let out a small chuckle. "R-really? Liar!"

"I'm serious."

"No, I don't believe you. That's just…too awkward."

"I'm not lying."

"You're mock sighing as if you are being bothered. It's so obvious, Josh."

"It's because there's another suitor to your affections, dear. A clearly inferior man who is a waste of air, paper, and ink." What the hell?

"You sicken me. Seriously, you're acting the same way to Shiki like before. Well, I guess that was pretty reasonable but now, really? I mean, you antagonized Shiki because she liked me for a short while. Then, you still hated her after she got over me! What makes you think that this situation is any different? This is a waste of time if you're still going to antagonize the poor guy!"

Joshua turned to him with oddly determined and condescending eyes. "Oh, dear, I shall prove it to you."

Neku dusted off the imaginary particles from his dress. "Suit yourself. I can picture yourself plastering a smirk on your face to hide the fact that you experience your second loss in a game to me."

Suddenly, Joshua slowly put a face. Neku noticed it immediately and did not like it one bit. He knew that _face_. Neku saw this face a few times but this was the face that Joshua put on when he was contemplating something for real, usually for some screwed up entertainment or game. Joshua leered at him mischievously. The face was a prelude to a vicious, almost sadistic, and gleeful mode that Neku did not like at all. In that instant, the other knew that he was in for one fucked up ride.

"Say, if it turns out that my prediction isn't correct and he does not have a thing for you after all, what do you say to hmm…a limited edition of CAT's art scrapbook? There is only _one _in the world after all." The Composer nearly laughed when he saw Neku's blue eyes bulge out of his face.

Unfortunately for him, Neku was not stupid. The orange-haired boy pondered for a moment and cautiously thought it over. Joshua seemed pretty confident and as far as Neku was concerned, Joshua rarely lost to any game. Ever. The offer was pretty tempting. However, Neku was pretty sure that the store owner did not have a "thing" for him. Nevertheless, for his safety, the dress clad boy answered to the other's proposition with a firm "No."

Joshua made a smug noise under his breath. "You're scared. Alright, no matter. I will prove it to prove you wrong for my own entertainment pleasure." Then, he went to sit down at a bench near a window.

"…What are you doing?" Neku questioned.

"Oh, waiting. You can't catch a mouse by forcing it into a mouse trap. You have to wait." Joshua laced his fingers and let out a waggish giggle. "Go along and make yourself ravishing." Then, he added in a low and venomous voice, "Just like you always were. In his undeserving eyes."

Neku shot him a weird and disgusted look. "Your god complex is seeping through again." With that, he turned his heels and began to inspect the clothing in a casual manner.

At this time around, HT Masuoka recovered from his stupor and sauntered over to attempt to court the pretty "girl", seeing that the other boy was nowhere in sight. He pulled out a Spring Breeze Rhapsody overcoat from a nearby rack and approached his target.

"Hey, don't mean to intrude or anything but if you're looking for something to flatter your appearance, you should try this on. You look kinda lost." The owner gave Neku a grin.

This time, Neku gave the overcoat a hasty look before asking, "You think?"

HT Masuoka grinned and nodded his head vigorously. He was getting a reaction out of his target. Neku looked at the coat appraisingly again. Then suddenly, a thought slammed and wrenched itself smoothly into his head.

_'He eyes you like a piece of meat, Neku.'_

Neku had to resist rolling his eyes. _'He does not, Joshua.'_

"Want to try it on?" the owner asked in an almost too friendly manner.

What was the harm of trying on a coat? Neku nodded carelessly and the owner opened the coat. The orange-haired teen slowly placed his arms into the coat arms of the overcoat. It was pretty warm and comfortable over all until he felt a body pressed against him from behind. He stiffened as he felt arms curling around him while something rested itself on the top of his head. It was the shop owner's head.

"What...?" Neku trailed off, dumbfounded. He couldn't move from shock. This touch was too foreign. It wasn't like Joshua's at all. He did not blush but rather, he paled and ossified like a fossil. He saw himself and the store owner embracing him from behind in the mirror next to him.

"Your hair smells of strawberries."

"Uh…"

"What is your name, kit?"

"…Why are you holding me like this? Can you let go?"

Much to Neku's relief, the owner's too friendly hold loosened. However, the owner turned him towards him. The owner cupped his chin delicately.

"You are quite attractive, you know. Won't you at least, tell me your name?"

"What importance does it make?"

"A pretty girl must have a pretty name."

Neku bristled at this statement slightly but the store owner did not notice.

"…Sora." The orange-haired boy gritted out.

"Sora…you look similar to this very charming boy who I saw before. Perhaps, you are related to him?"

"Um…"

"Hello there, not that it's my business, but it seems that you are bothering her." Joshua suddenly appeared and stepped in with a threatening yet angelic smile on his face. The smile on the store owner's face vanished immediately.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just remembered this really nice scarf and came back to buy it, only to see you harassing a customer." Joshua replied offhandedly, twirling a pale lock with his finger.

The owner hung the coat on a clothes rack stiffly. "I was not harassing her."

"Your hands were certainly quite grabby."

Purple eyes glared condescendingly as it zeroed onto its victim.

"Hey, I was just helping her." HT Masuoka held his hands up defensively. However, Joshua's glare did not waver. Neither did his fake smile.

It had started. Neku recognized his mode immediately. It was Joshua's patented, "I shit holiness. Worship me, inferior mortals. Hahaha, bow before me." This was one mode that should be avoided and Neku knew this. One of Joshua's weaknesses was the "god complex problem," a trait that the Composer dearly dubbed as his "protective play mode." This mode is usually triggered when someone does something that upsets or is not aesthetically pleasing to his standards. In the mode, Joshua goes off on his yellow unicorn to a place that should not be seen by children. Neku needed to haul ass. Fast.

"Uh, I'm going to use the bathroom." He walked briskly away from the rising tension that threatened to suffocate and murder him.

"No, h-hey," the store owner trailed off before gazing in the boy's direction. "Don't go-"

"Hello there. I was still talking to you." The Composer was still smiling but anyone with a brain could sense the rising tension surrounding him. HT Masuoka was no exception.

"H-hey, dude."

"I appreciate it if you refrain from touching my friend. She does not like it."

"I-it wasn't like I was forcing it onto her." HT Masuoka replied defensively, shoving his hands in his dark shirt pockets. "She wasn't complaining either-"

"I will not repeat. Will you stop bothering her?" His amethyst eyes stared challengingly into the coal eyes of the other. Joshua wasn't threatening him; there was no need to. The Composer was rather playing with him in an extremely condescending manner. It was mischievous but a bit dangerous. His smile turned into more of a smirk.

'This frail looking kid is looking at me as if he was a god or something...he sees me as an annoying fly. He's not taking me seriously.' The store owner thought in wariness. How ironically accurate his thoughts were.

"Who are you anyway, kid?"

Joshua's expression became one of pleasant surprise. He stuck out his hand in mock embarrassment. "My apologies. My name is Joshua. I like sampling hair conditioners and shampoos, discussing books and chick flicks, playing games, and making several not-so subliminal references to my sexuality. Nice to meet you."

"Uh…" If Neku was still here, he would face palm himself.

They stared at each other for another few moments.

"Why are you worried about her? What happened to that other kid who used to go here?" HT Masuoka ventured to ask in a slightly wobbled tone.

Joshua stood his ground, unaffected. His smile was gone. "Why should it concern you? Do you and me a nice favor and spare yourself the trouble of trying to court Sora. In other words, back the _fuck _off." The deadly tone was so heavily placed that HT Masuoka got the message. Deafeningly loud and crystal clear.

Then, the Composer smiled again. It was a I-will-cut-off-your-balls-and-put-them-in-a-blender-with- vodka-and-water-before-forcing-you-to-drink-it smile but it was a smile nevertheless.

The owner was speechless and stuttered some incoherent noises before stumbling back, clearly flabbergasted. This kid didn't seem the type to use vulgar argot. The sickeningly sweet expression on the angelic boy's face pushed the other aggressively away. He was definitely not someone to be messed with or defied.

Finally, "Sora" stepped out from the restroom and approached them. It was almost as if "she" sensed the tension was thinning away.

"We should probably check on Shiki and Eri. They're probably looking for us." Neku commented, eager to slice the awkward tension into pieces. Joshua gracefully tore his gaze from HT Masuoka and smiled warmly with a tint of smugness at the other.

"I bid you adieu, kind sir." Joshua nodded his head courteously. Neku sighed in relief and turned his heels to leave after thanking the owner for help. He hoped that Joshua did not scar HT Masuoka much. His black heels made audible noises as it clicked against the hard floor to the exit door.

Suddenly, Joshua's hand shot out and slapped the store owner's face once. The poker smile was still glued to his face. The sound of the hit resonated throughout the store. It was within Neku's hearing range as he turned in surprise and shock.

"Wha-Why did you slap me?" The bitch slapped victim held his face. The frail boy lacked in strength but the slap still stung nevertheless.

"I did not slap you. I merely high five'd your face. Consider a friendly peace-making gesture." The pale haired boy let out a cute giggle and poked the dumbfounded owner's nose playfully like a curious girl. A flicker of smugness and triumph passed over his face briefly before disappearing quickly. "I hope to see you again, HT Masuoka."

Neku promptly high five'd-er, face palmed his own face right after. Joshua walked, no _skipped_, towards him in a rather gay manner. "I feel so happy."

"You are one sad little delusional child." Neku shook his head as they exited the store.

Joshua sighed and smiled harmoniously. "It saves me from the urge of jesus-beaming his face off every time when I hear his thoughts about you in the store."

The orange haired boy just looked at him and his shoulders sagged in defeat. Joshua bitch slapping someone was much, much more lenient than the jesus-beam treatment. Neku felt content that Joshua refrained himself from doing something so overly brutal when he could get away with it. The two walked back to Natural Puppy.

"By the way, did you enter the men's bathroom? Just wondering."

The heels froze in place. "Ah, shit."

A disapproving sigh. "Since I don't hear any nearby thoughts wondering why they saw a girl in the bathroom, I will safely assume that your careless and almost fatal mistake was luckily unnoticed."

"…I think there was a kid…"

"Oh, dear…"

Totter, totter. "Mommy, there's that weird girl from the potty I was talking about! She had a pee-pee like me!"

"Oh gawd…."

"Shut up and walk, dear. Shut up and walk."

The heels clicked against the ground twice the speed. It was accompanied with an agonizing sigh and a snap of the fingers. A mind imprinting was placed upon the little boy.

0.o.0.o.0.

"I-It was so p-pink and l-light…T-then, a unicorn appeared, and I…Oh gawd…" Beat trembled in his little sister's embrace before bursting out in loud and pitiful whimpers. Prolonged exposure to Natural Puppy proved to be detrimental to Beat's already diminished brain. Eri glanced at the shaking boy in pity before turning to Neku. Before she could even speak, Neku shook his head firmly.

"I'm not trying on another stupid outfit." he said brusquely. His icy blue eyes glared daringly at the now intimidated fashion designer.

"But-" she started but Neku shook his head again and interrupted her once more. He will not yield to this a second time.

"Eri, we need to get Beat out of here. He looks like he's about to vomit rainbows any minute. And it won't look pretty either."

"Oh, Sora, you don't want to wear the pretty dresses that Eri-"

"Shut up, Joshua. _Just _shut up."

Eri gaped and made a move to protest before Shiki put a hand on her shoulder. The glasses girl nodded and decided to have a little mercy for Neku. And Beat. "Come on, Eri. Beat is shaking right now. It's already chivalrous enough that he stayed with us despite the exposure. He doesn't look like he could handle it anymore."

"Bwhahaha! What you talkin' about? I'm fine! I'm totally aight! Men don't run! Men stay and fight!" Beat was laughing hysterically as Rhyme rubbed his back before helping him up.

"Big Brother, don't beat yourself up like this. Eri and Shiki found and bought everything they needed." The petite girl walked awkwardly, guiding Beat towards the exit and down the stairs. She shook a little to keep Beat's weight from swaying from side to side on the stair railing.

Eri made a defeated noise at the back of her throat and beckoned the rest of the group to follow Rhyme and Beat reluctantly. The rest of the group followed and exited the Natural Puppy store. Outside, Beat and Rhyme sat down on the ground, against the wall of the Cadoi City stores. The skateboarder seemed to be recovering smoothly from his trauma. Neku leaned against the wall as well; his dress floating gently and slightly in the wind.

"So, why is Beat so worked up of being inside a feminine store?" he questioned casually. Beat flinched a little, making Rhyme glare lightly at Neku. However, she turned back her gaze to Beat in a concerned and resigned manner.

"It happened when I was around three. I'm not really sure but our mom went to shop for some clothes or something. She took us with her and Beat somehow wandered off in the store." Rhyme recounted the story slowly, pointing her eyes toward the sky. "Our mom didn't notice that he was gone until after she had paid, left the store, and walked home. When she realized it, she walked back and found Beat shivering in the hands of some teenage girls who called him, 'cute.' They started asking him several questions like, "where was his mommy?" and stuff. I think Beat got lost in the store and was stuck in there for an hour. He was crying when our mom came to pick him up. At least, that is what our mom recalled and all."

Neku felt a pang of pity for the skateboarder. Beat must be beating himself up for showing weakness, especially in Rhyme's and Eri's presences. Eri kneeled down to Beat's eye level and patted him sympathetically on the back. She stood back up and dusted off her green shorts.

"We're heading to Molco next, Beat." Eri started to suggest. Beat's face raised in interest. The pink haired girl continued. "I heard the Mexican Dog was nearby and I'm kinda hungry for a snack so…"

"Aight! Let get a move move movin' people!" The skateboarder was reenergized and jumped up excitedly. Eri smiled at his regained confidence.

The group gathered their bags and walked to Molco. The first thing that Beat did was dragging Eri into the direction of Spain Hill. The fashion designer laughed and complied happily. Neku heard a holler of, "We be back in ten, yo!" Rolling his eyes, the orange-haired boy felt happy for his friend who just scored effectively with a girl. He gazed in their direction.

Shiki tugged lightly on Neku's dress strap. "Come on, Sora, I got some clothing hunting to do. Eri wanted to go to Molco to see this cute outfit she saw but…well, now I have to do it."

Neku nodded in response and felt a little respect for the designer who sacrificed her clothing expedition to make one of his other friends happy. He followed Shiki into the Molco stores into Funky Fashion a.k.a. the Sheep Heavenly store.

"Hiya! Glad you're here!" The store owner, Anna Aoi, greeted energetically as the group entered the store. Rhyme smiled back fondly. This was the store where Beat got her the bell pendant. The small girl raised a baggy sleeve covered arm to palm the pendant hanging around her neck softly before letting it drop against her chest. The pendant rang softly against it.

"So, you got anything in particular you're looking for?" Anna asked cheerfully, leaning against the cash register. "We got a sweet new line that came in just this morning!"

The brown-haired girl smiled politely and shook her head before walking to a nearby clothes rack to inspect some brightly colored skirts. Neku sighed and walked begrudgingly towards her. He didn't have Eri to keep Shiki company and Rhyme was more into checking out jewelry than clothes so he had to stay with Shiki this time. Shiki giggled as she pushed her glasses up in a flustered manner. She took Neku's hand and guided him to a bench in front of the dressing rooms with Joshua trailing behind them. The seamstress placed Mr. Mew carefully in Neku's hands. Blue eyes widened considerably in surprise.

"Wait here and watch Mr. Mew for me, okay?" Shiki instructed before giving him a stern look. "Since you obviously don't like shopping, you can wait here with Joshua and Mr. Mew. Make sure that you don't call Mr. Mew a pig or whatnot. Mr. Mew does not like that. I also want to use this as an opportunity for you two to get along. So far, you keep antagonizing him. Stop it."

What the hell? Neku looked down at the stuffed animal. The black stuffed animal stared back at him with its white thread eyes. For a moment, Neku could have sworn Mr. Mew trembled slightly in his hands as if, it were laughing and taunting him. He twitched his eye in disturbance. This is creepy…

"I should be back in ten minutes to check up on you. I don't want Mr. Mew to suffocate underneath the amount of clothes I'm going to buy." Shiki explained before leaving him, Joshua, and the demented stuffed cat alone.

After a moment of silence, Neku spoke.

"I hate this fucking pig."

Joshua smiled in amusement. "That has been established quite a lot. Better make sure that Shiki Misaki doesn't hear you say that, dear."

The other snorted in response and squeezed the head of Mr. Mew experimentally. "This stupid animal gives me the creeps."

_Your homely face gives me the creeps._

With a yelp, Neku dropped the stuff animal and kicked it with one of his high heels. His face lost color as he stared at the stuffed animal. Did that animal talked?

_I would appreciate it if you took me off the floor, you crossdresser freak. _

Oh gawd, it did! Neku held back a scream while the pale-haired boy to his right watched in interest.

The stuffed animal did not move but Neku could hear it talk. Loud and crystal-fucking-clear. And it scared the living crap out of him.

"It-It talked!"

Neku was not afraid of anything much. He could handle bugs, the dark, scary movies, roller coasters, ghosts, murderers, scissors, names, and being left alone. However, he could not handle stuffed animals. They either pissed him off or scared the living shit out of him. It made him restless and paranoid. He remembered crying as a little kid because of the stuffed animals. His stuffed animal phobia was the result of a traumatizing nightly visit from his formerly beloved, stuffed animal, "Mr. Beary."

It was not helpful or cute that his mother tried to correct his so-called "warped sense of animals" by using "Mr. Beary" as a medium. It took him years to realize that his mother was the one who made it look like that Mr. Beary was moving in the dark at night. It certainly did not help that Mr. Beary flew and attached itself to his face, screaming that "he was a bunny, not a bear!" As a six-year-old, it frightened him so much that he couldn't stop crying every time he saw a stuffed animal in the store. He felt lucky that he grew out of that habit when he was nine. Then, about four years ago, his mother took out the old worn out Mr. Beary out of the storage closet when she felt it was the right time, feeling that her son matured. Instead, Neku could recall clearly that he snatched the bear, took it outside, and lit it on fire, watching it burn slowly in the barbecue. It was probably one of the happiest times of his life. Gosh, he was such a happy camper.

Neku clenched his fist and glared at Mr. Mew. It was a tragedy that he liked Shiki enough to be courteous not to stomp on Mr. Mew even though it was _agonizingly _tempting. To kick or not to kick. That is the question. The Composer stood up and picked up the black stuffed cat gingerly before clicking his tongue disapprovingly at Neku.

"It is not good for your health for you vent out your anger on harmless black stuffed animals." Joshua scolded playfully. "Shiki would be ashamed of you."

Neku still glared at the stuffed animal as if, it was the current cause of his misery. Well, it was at this moment. The white thread eyes of Mr. Mew seemed to glare right back at him.

Oh it was _on_.

"Gimme the pig."

"Why? And he is not a-"

"Joshua, shut up and give me the pig."

"For the safety of a lovely sewn stuffed animal and your safety in general if you anger Shiki, I will not."

"_Josh…_I want-"

Joshua sighed in agitation and swiveled his pale-haired head towards him, fiddling with Mr. Mew's arms. "If only you could sigh like that when we kiss."

Suddenly, Neku lunged towards Joshua and wrenched the stuffed cat out of his hands. Joshua gaped at his sudden strength before shaking his head.

One thing that Neku had superior to Joshua's own was physical strength. The orange-haired boy did remark how much of a pansy the Composer was before when the pale-haired boy couldn't lift a stack of heavy textbooks. It was a pet peeve Joshua had. The Composer liked to take down others with wit and tried to avoid using his powers as much as possible. However, when it came to physical challenges like running and lifting up heavy things, Joshua was forced to reside to cheating methods which usually led to Neku accusing of said activity and snickering at his weakly body. The Composer sometimes felt unsatisfied with his frail teenage body, knowing fully well if he was in his real form, he could pick up Neku and slam him against the nearest wall.

Neku narrowed his eyes, examining the stuffed animal for some hidden voice box, prodding at every seam and squeezing its body in a vice grip. Joshua couldn't help but feel a little bit of pity for the poor creature. Mr. Mew was not just a stuffed animal as far as the Composer was concerned. He had thoughts of his own. Joshua could hear them. Putting a pale lock behind his ear, he leaned back against the wall. He wondered if he should save Mr. Mew-who was currently screaming obscenities _most _inappropriate for a stuffed animal-or stand watch to see what the outraged stuffed cat would do. After a few moments of contemplating, Joshua took the latter but said a few words to Neku.

"You know, if Mr. Mew could move, he would surely pick up the nearest clothes hanger in range and strangle you."

Neku did not look at him as he examined the stuffed animal, muttering something along the lines of, "Stupid fucking animal…haunting me in the UG…haunting me now in the fucking store too…"

Then, when Neku turned Mr. Mew to the side, making the cat's face turn towards Joshua. Mr. Mew took the opportunity.

_Hey, you! Get this Cloud wannabe away from me!_

Joshua turned to him and cocked his head with interest before sending a thought back. _"I wish I could but Neku will use his pretty mouth to bite my fingers off if I try to take you away from him."_

Joshua laughed as the stuffed animal trembled again. Probably from frustration.

_Composer, your taste in guys is sick and disgusting. Your mind is just as dirty._

Amethyst eyes glowed honorably and playfully in response. _"Thank you, I try."_

About a few minutes of prodding Mr. Mew and coming to the conclusion that the pig was possessed and out to get him, Neku handed the stuffed animal back to Joshua and inched as far as he can on the bench away from him.

Shiki came back with her bag full of Sheep Heavenly threads with a hopeful look and Rhyme behind her. However, the look quickly went away at Neku's tragic and blank expression and Joshua's calm look. She hunched her shoulders in defeat. Neku must've gotten into another fight with Mr. Mew. Again. For the…five hundred and seventy fifth time. When will he learn? She will never understand the prejudice that Neku had for her beloved stuffed cat.

It was for her own good when she glanced at the two of them before sighing. "…I'm not even going to ask what happened." Rhyme giggled while Shiki thanked Joshua for watching over Neku and stopping him from ripping her beloved Mr. Mew to shreds when she was out. The Composer raised his hand in acknowledgement. As Shiki took back Mr. Mew, Neku looked in her direction and locked eyes with the menacing animal. The message was clear in both of their eyes.

_This battle is not over._

However, this story is not meant to be centered on Neku's and Mr. Mew's raging battle with each other. So, this matter will be left unresolved and it is HIGHLY unlikely that our favorite character and stuffed cat will get along. Ever. This point is to be made extremely clear.

The four walked to the exit of the store only to meet up with Eri and Beat.

"Yo, yo! We back!"

"Oh my gosh, Shiki, is that the…Retro Dot One-piece I've been looking for? Thanks!"  
The group chatted loquaciously until Neku bumped into something. Or, rather someone. He stumbled backwards and saw another familiar person.

"Ow! You made me drop my Red Kaiser pin! Look at it, it's broken!"

Oh gawd. Not this _kid_. Shiki and Joshua resisted a laugh as they sensed Neku's growing irritation. Eri rolled her eyes while Rhyme smiled silently. Unfortunately, while the rest of them knew that ignoring the small boy and apologizing was probably the best thing to do, considering Neku's sanity and anger issues, Beat did not sense the tension at all and before all of them knew it, he asked the most fatal question.

"Uh…who's the kid?"

And all hell was unleashed. All seven of them.

"Whattya mean, 'who's this kid?' I'm Shuto Dan! Or Red Shooter! I'm the best Tin Pin player in the whole WORLD! You should know who I am! Red Kaiser is my partner! I'm going to be the Tin Pin master! Wait, I'm already am! You dare not know me?" the fifth grader rambled on and on. Neku tried to tune out but it proved to be extremely difficult without headphones.

"Well, that is nice, I guess." Shiki tried to pacify, leaning down to the kid's height. "We're sorry for your broken Red Kaiser. We'll pay for it if you want-"

It was fruitless. Red Shooter was mad.

"You broke…my spirit! You must pay by offering up your own! Money can't substitute my Red Kaiser!" The boy pointed accusingly at Neku. The accused other snorted and tucked a lazy strand behind his ear, ignoring the zealous boy.

"But she has no Kaiser pins though..."Shiki tried to reason. "Couldn't we just pay you-"

"I challenge you to a Tin Pin match, lady! And you won't back down!" Red Shooter interrupted with eyes blazing wildly for a fight. Or in this case, a Tin Pin Slammer.

"I would like to take a rain check on that, thank-" Again, the boy interrupted.

"No! You MUST take it! Be a man and fight with your spirit!" It was almost ironic. In this type of situation, Neku would gladly retort that statement with a full hearted "I'm a woman!" but his dignity, Joshua, nor Beat will never let him live it down. Geez, Lady Luck must have it out for Neku with the amount of trouble she's dragging him into.

With a reluctant sigh, Neku succumbed to his fate and agreed to play Tin Pin Slammer with a ten year old.

"Ha! Me and my Red Kaiser The Second will beat you!" Red Shooter hollered energetically before running into the direction of Molco. "Follow me to Molco, fellow challenger!"

Wait, what? So, what was that talk about paying for the broken Red Kaiser? This kid…really? Neku twitched his eye in irritation and prayed to get this over with as quick and painless as possible before trudging to follow the kid. This was just fantastic. Just _bloody _fantastic.

0.o.0.o.0.

If anyone asked, there was NOT a sixteen year old girl competing in a glaring competition with a fifth grader over a Tin Pin Slammer battle table. They were definitely not gripping their pins (Rhyme had her pins on conveniently and lent them to Neku) like it was their lifelines or anything. A group stood to the side, waiting patiently for the storm to blow. In fact, it was quite comical seeing Neku get worked up by a little kid. Joshua giggled to himself mentally. This was probably one of the quirks that Neku and his other selves share in alternate universes. They all get extremely hyped up over Tin Pin Slammer, determined to win no matter what.

"I choose you, Red Kaiser the Second! Avenge your brother spirit!" Red Shooter yelled out before setting his pin out for battle.

Neku shot a determined look at his opponent before setting out his own pin, Wolf, out to battle. **(2)** The two began to battle with their pins, slamming their pins against their other. Hehe, pins. And slamming their pins against each other… Okay, that was some disturbing innuendo. Moving on…

"Red Kaiser the Second, use Hammer!"

Neku bit his lip in frustration as his Wolf pin was stunned then promptly shoved off the table. He summoned his next pin, Tin Pin Fire. He tried to sting the other pin and did a little victory dance inside when he succeeded. However, the Kaiser pin recovered quickly and immediately bombed the other with quick and deadly accuracy. After four seconds, Tin Pin Fire was shoved off the table. Neku used the hand as a save but Red Shooter had another trick up his sleeve.

"Red Kaiser the Second, use Stinger!" The Kaiser pin stunned the Tin Pin Fire pin by turning into a black spiked ball. Again, the pin was shoved off the battlefield.

Why was he losing to fifth grader? Neku was quite embarrassed but he was determined to win. It did not help that the random Pokemon references Red Shooter was making were distracting him.

When Neku was on his third pin, Blast Warning, he managed to finally push Kaiser the Second off the table. He bristled in annoyance when Red Shooter made a big deal out of it.

"Aww, Red Kaiser the Second, return! Go! I choose you, Red Kaiser the THIRD!"

Oh, this was going to be a agonizingly _long _battle.

Neku was struggling. He really didn't want to lose against a fifth grader. Beat will never let him live it down. But, as much as he hated to admit it, this kid was _good_. Too fucking good. He voiced his thoughts out loud. "Why can't I win…"

Unfortunately, Red Shooter pulled out another TV series reference in answer. "It's cuz you don't believe in the heart of the pins!"

Eri blinked and leaned towards Shiki, whispering something quietly. "Wasn't it, 'believe in the heart of the cards?' Or something?"

The brown-haired girl shrugged and watched in pity as Neku struggled to win against the ten year old, only to lose his Blast Warning too. Joshua just watched on, smirking all the way.

Neku growled in aggravation and set out his Rhyme pin. Unfortunately, in the span of ten seconds, it was thrown off too with Beat's cry, "RHYME!" with the real Rhyme shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

He managed to push the Kaiser the Third pin off with his sixth pin, Orichalum but he cried inside when Red Shooter summoned Red Kaiser the Fourth with a battle cry, "I choose you, Red Kaiser the Fourth!"

Neku already used six pins and Red Shooter was only on his third. He was in trouble. Just when he thought that he couldn't stand for it much longer, Red Shooter had a technical problem. A _very _familiar problem. His pin did not eject. Oh the surprise. Where did Neku see that before? The orange-haired boy turned to Joshua who cutely waved back at him. He saw a screwdriver poking out behind Joshua's back. Red Shooter was too busy, trying to force his pin out to notice.

"Come on, Red Kaiser the Fourth! Avenge your brother spirits! You can do it!" The boy yelled at the pin desperately. However, the pin was stuck in place and Red Shooter lost his pin by default. When the champion tried to take out his last two pins, he stumbled on upon the same problem.

"Guess this means I win, kid." Neku answered, crossing his arms in subtle triumph.

Red Shooter dropped to his knees and let out a keen cry of defeat, pounding his hands into the ground. "Why….Why?...After what me and Red Kaiser had been through…"

The other did not know how to react to his now fallen opponent. He contemplated whether to comfort the poor kid who looked like he was about to kill himself over a kid's game or leave out of awkwardness.

"Um…" Neku was truly lost. The kid was crying for gods' sake! The orange-haired boy stared at the small boy like a deer in headlights. The group stood silent for a few moments, listening to Red Shooter's cries of "losing his spirit." Finally, the ten year old stood up again and put a solemn expression. He held out his hand to Neku.

"You are a worthy opponent, lady. Battling you has shown me that I still have a long way to go to become a true Tin Pin master." Red Shooter stated with a serious look. Neku did not know how to answer. "I will train further so that I may be a Tin Pin player of your caliber."

"…Sure, kid."

After dodging the kid's fiery questions of how Neku got his "pro skills in Tin Pin," Neku managed to leave Molco with Red Shooter behind, jumping up and down, shouting, "Rematch, lady! I want a rematch!"

And Neku had no plans of associating himself with that demon kid in the future. So, he mostly ignored him, speeding the pace of his walking.

God, what was wrong with that kid?

0.o.0.o.0.

"Well, our last stop is the WildKat café." Eri announced, checking her phone. She turned her brown eyes up to the sky in thought and content. She felt like she was forgetting something though. Nevertheless, she pushed the thought away.

The group walked through Cadoi City, Towa Records, Miyashita Park Underpass, Miyashita Park, and all the way to Cat Street. Neku felt his body stir in anticipation upon reaching the WildKat. Although it did not look like it, his heels were screaming. In agony. Blisters were already starting to form and the sheer pain of it made Neku absolutely uncomfortable. The mere prospect of sitting in one of the chairs in the café was enough to make the boy cry out in extreme happiness. He could barely contain himself when Eri opened the glass door to reveal the stylish café interior. Never has sitting looked so good.

Sanae Hanekoma was busy talking behind the counter. There were two people sitting on the stools in front of the counter. The two had their backs to the group. Sanae was talking to…What the hell were the Grim Heaper and the Iron Maiden doing here? The two former GMs looked too busy to notice the group. Sanae raised his eyes briefly and slightly, acknowledging the group at the door. Beat shrugged and plopped himself in the chair. The rest of them followed suit.

"Anyway, according to my calculations, Mr. Hanekoma, if we unleash 1.5 times more Noise, it could pose a more serious challenge to the Players so they would take the Game more seriously. We should put one barrier here…" Mitsuki Konishi pointed to some red circled points on a piece of paper that looked like a map of Shibuya. She tapped her sharp manicured nails against the counter as her manipulative green eyes searched and analyzed the map carefully. Sanae looked totally lost, laughing sheepishly and rubbing the nape of his neck. Neku couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him.

Neku turned to Joshua and whispered. "Why did you bring Iron Maiden back from erasure?"

The Composer let a small amused expression grace his lips before answering. "The very same reason why I brought Sho Minamimoto. They shouldn't be a threat to me anymore if all goes well. I took away Sho's ability to mess with Taboo noise after all. Without Sho as a threat for power, Mitsuki shouldn't be able to use him as her own. Even though they're people with bad intentions, I hate to admit it but I require their services."

"What services? Didn't you see the trouble they caused in your Game?"

"Yes, I did, dear. However, Sho's ability to create whimsical and interesting missions amuses me and it's one of a kind. I needed Mitsuki because she did most of my paperwork. If I didn't have her, I would be stuck in a pile of papers."

"Oh." The two turned back to Sanae. He looked confused, trying his best to keep up with Mitsuki's Noise report. His shades fell to the bridge of his nose as he furrowed his brow. Placing a mug of coffee on the counter, he finally spoke.

"Yes, Mitsuki. But, that is way too cruel to the Players. And the Reapers for that matter. Maybe-"

"I think she got one great factoring plan!" Sho interrupted. "If we could just add some beautiful sculptures, here-"

Sanae sighed in aggravation, pinching his brow before taking another sip of his coffee. "Sho, according to your contract, you are strictly and specifically forbidden to create another trash sculpture. Joshua hates it."

The former GM scowled before pounding his fist into the counter in frustration. The faint remnants of the Taboo Noise tattoos were still visible on his face and arms. Sho stabbed another piece of his pancakes with his fork and shoved it in his mouth. "Well, you go dell him daf he eh one bigf facdoringf hecgdopasgal. Inderrubdingf my dade widf Mifsugi…"

"Mr. Minamimoto, we are not on a date."

"Aww, don't be like that. You totally dig me."

"Quite the contrary. You are a menace and a problem to-"

"Problem? I wish I was so I would be hard and you'd do me-"

"Please refrain from using your vulgar math argot."

"You're just cranky cuz that son of a digit barged into our date with some stupid request for a Noise report."

It was amazing that Sho and Mitsuki were still too immersed in their argument to notice the group of teenagers standing behind them with their mouths agape. Behind them at the counter, Sanae flickered his shade covered eyes to meet Joshua's at the table for a moment. The Composer got the message immediately. Purple eyes glimmered mischievously for a second. _Help me out here, Joshua_.

"Hey, yoohoo. Any service here?" Despite how gay it sounded, no one could expect less from the Composer. The pale-haired boy twirled a silky lock in impatience.

The two Reapers turned around frantically at the all too familiar voice that threatened their lives almost a year ago. Mitsuki pushed her glasses up in respect while Sho crossed his arms and glared at him.

"C-Composer, how pleasant to see you today." The Iron Maiden struggled to keep her composure.

Joshua drummed his fingers lazily against the counter, resting his chin against his left palm with a playful expression. "Back to you, Mitsuki. Are you finished with those reports I assigned you?"

"She is, you zetta son of a digit." Sho snarled. The Composer turned his head into Sho's direction. Neku could've sworn he saw a flicker of irritation in his purple eyes. Sho was just one of those people who managed to Joshua not angry, but irritated.

"Well, alright then. I-"

"Why the factor are you here?"

"Why are you glaring at me?" Joshua sighed tiredly as if he was talking to a small bratty child.

"Why would I waste my time glaring at a hectopascal like you? I'm glaring at the wall. You just happened to be in front of it. Stop messing with my calculations, you digit!"

Sanae who, like everyone else, noticed the building tension, slapped his hands down to get everyone's attention. "H-hey, Sho, you're done here. Why don't you…take Mitsuki out somewhere else?"

Sho snorted but complied as he stood up in his stool and nodded Mitsuki over. "Come on, we're free today anyway. I'll take a rain check on this." He took the paper plate of half eaten pancakes with him and turned to leave. However, on his way out, he gave Joshua a look that clearly said, "This isn't over, you binomial." The Composer merely let out one of his signature giggles in response. The two Reapers left anyway.

"Yo, Coffee Man! What up?" Beat slammed his fists into the table rhythmically.

"Pretty good, Beat." Sanae chuckled, rubbing the nape of his neck with one hand while drinking coffee in the other. These kids were really his soft spot. He set his cup down and tucked the map away in a counter drawer. He let out a breath of relief as he took out a dish cloth and started to wipe the counter. "Thank gods you kids arrived. Mitsuki spent about an hour trying to convince me to let loose some more Noise. That woman…she's a sadist, I swear. Oh, and Beat, I ran out of pancakes. Sho made me cook the last two boxes."

"Bwahaaa?"

"Yeah, tough luck, Beat. I'll get you some biscuits instead. Anything you want, you guys- Oh god, Phones, didn't I tell you not to come back in here dressed like…like that?" Sanae's calm eyes landed on his favorite customer sitting on the right of the table with surprise. It took almost everything the fallen angel had to stifle his laugh. Neku looked absolutely embarrassed and cranky.

"Guess….the girls did a nice job of dolling you up, eh, Phones?" The café barista commented lightly, covering his amused smile with a hand.

"No one recognized me today so I will assume so I guess…" Neku answered before jumping slightly as his voice slowly went back to its deeper range. He turned his head to see Joshua set his finger back on the table. Well, no one is here and the store was probably planning to close for the day so he guessed it was okay. He avoided Eri's curious gaze at his sudden voice drop.

Sanae rolled his eyes as Joshua giggled slightly at Eri's befuddled expression. The pink haired girl stared at Neku's throat, poking it and trying to find how he did the vocal "trick."

The barista went into the storage room for a moment and back out to pull out a bag of biscuits and muffins. He flipped on the switch of a coffee machine before calling out to the group. "House Blend, you guys?" The twenty year old did not turn his head but the others could tell he was addressing them.

"I could really go for one. Thanks, Mr. H." Neku called out, rubbing his forehead and trying to tug the wig off. The wig was starting to really itch and the bobby pins were scratching his scalp. Cool slender fingers covered his own and clamped down, preventing him from taking off the wig.

"Neku, dear, don't do that. This wig is too lovely to take off."

Slap. "Get your hands off me, Josh. Why should I keep the wig on when I'm no longer a model?"

Then, suddenly, a light bulb went off in Eri's head. Oh, so that's what she was forgetting! She dove frantically for her bag on the table and dug into it. With a flourish of the hand, Eri held up a silver camera. The pink-haired designer sighed in relief and patted herself on the back mentally for remembering. Her finger pressed the camera power button while she cleared her throat. Neku and Joshua both turned to her.

"I believe I wanted some shots of you two." Drawled Eri with a twist of the finger. "I nearly forgot about it."

Neku became rigid and mulled darkly. He knew it was too good to be true. He glared at the girl as she put her small hands on her short green shorts in impatience. He was about to try to tell her off per usual until-BAM! Something foils him again!

"Come on, Neku. It's the last day. Lighten up a little and have a little mercy." Shiki chirped up unexpectedly. Rhyme nodded in response.

Oh, crap. Shiki. One of the few people who were able to make him do things willingly. Most of the time. Neku refused to meet eyes with her. He knew he would crumble the minute he met gazes with her.

"Neku? Come on, look at me."

Don't look at Shiki's eyes. Don't look at her eyes. Don't look at Rhyme's eyes. Don't look at her eyes. Don't look at her eyes. Don't look at her eyes.

"Hello?" Shiki walked over and waved a hand over Neku's face. Immediately, Neku turned his head to avoid eye contact.

Don't look at her eyes. Don't look at her eyes. Don't look. Don't look. Don't look-

"Oh, Neku, look at me." Shiki held his face and turned it towards her. Her eyes softened. "Do it for Eri. She's not even asking you to model. She just wants a picture posing with a guy. A, Neku! That means one!"

CRAP! He looked! Blue eyes met with pleading and soft doe-like eyes.

The next thing he knew; he was shoulder-to-shoulder against Joshua in front of a table. He set his right hand on the table lazily. Joshua grasped his other hand tightly in his own. Their fingers were interlaced. Neku's face became scarlet and turned to his right to avoid the camera's gaze.

The pink haired designer grinned happily but instead of bitching Neku out, she held the camera up and adjusted the focus. After all, Neku suffered enough during the two weeks. The camera lens zoomed in and out in a twitching motion before stilling. A bright orange light blinked on the top of the camera.

Then, at the last second before the silver camera snapped a picture, Joshua roughly grabbed Neku's chin and forced blue eyes to meet purple eyes. Neku's eyes grew as big as saucers in surprise. His breath hitched in his throat. Their lips weren't touching but their faces were so close. The orange-haired boy felt their noses brushed briefly as the flash of the camera assaulted his eyes briefly. He could only acknowledge himself and the Composer.

Too bad he did not notice Shiki stuttering out in embarrassment and Rhyme trying to peel off her older brother's hands off her eyes. The little girl could faintly hear her brother's grumbles of something like, "For gods' sakes, Phones…try to keep your lovefest in your room, yo…" Sanae slapped a hand on his face and shook his head tiredly. Ah, Joshua was still the same as usual.

As soon as the flash dissipated, Neku jerked his body backwards and coughed, gasping for air. Joshua did not look as shocked as him as he turned to Eri.

"Good enough?"

Eri scratched her head as she examined the picture on her camera. It was a bit much for her but it was enough to be considered as picturesque. She was no yaoi fangirl. However, she approved of her "models'" realistic expressions so she tucked camera safely in her jacket with the picture kept nicely in her memory card. "Yes, thank you."

Her mouth curved into a soft and serene smile. A "thank you" was not enough to amount what Neku did for her. Despite her ruthless and somewhat insane and sadistic behavior towards Neku, she couldn't help but admire his endurance. The girl held the boy at a very high pedestal of respect. As Neku conversed/argued with Shiki and Joshua, Eri could see why her best friend loved the surly boy so much. Despite the many persevering difficulties the boy put up, he diligently helped Eri.

Eri could find no one with as much modeling talent as the boy. Her heart glowed in admiration and gratitude.

These two weeks that stemmed from a problem with a missing model had blossomed into something greater that made Eri closer to Neku. She owed too much to him. For being a perfect picturesque model. For putting up with her insane demanding personality. For embarrassing himself on her orders. And for taking care of her best friend.

She closed her eyes in silent thought. _We should definitely meet again, Neku Sakuraba._

With her closing sentimental monologue, she joined the others to talk again. Soon, they were immersed in conversation. Neither any of them noticed that one and a half hours passed by them. It was six. It was time to leave and call for the night.

Beat stood up his chair, groaning in relief as his body stretched. He cracked his knuckles and jerked his head to his little sister. "Come on, Rhyme. Fun day but we gotta bounce. Our folks want us back by six-fifteen, yo. See you, guys."

The girl got up from her seat and nodded but did not move. Her older brother blinked in confusion and scratched his head. "Uh, Rhyme?"

Rhyme giggled in response before chirping sweetly. "Beat, don't you have something to give to Neku?"

Shiki stopped eating her biscuit in realization. She stood up as well. "Oh yeah. Beat, the bet! The 13805 yen!"

The effect was instantaneous. Beat's mouth dropped agape with a clearly disbelieving expression. His eyes grew big in shock. His body went rigid. "B-bwhaa?"

Eri laughed good naturedly. She stood up from her chair and patted Beat on the back in sympathy. "Tough luck. Neku got you good."

Beat blubbered incoherently as his hands trembled in disbelief. His head turned to the others then to Neku then to the others. "H-how…This isn't possible!"

It was reward time finally for his painful two weeks of torture. Neku was way too elated over his triumph to slap his face at Beat's slow remark. Instead, he fluttered his eyes in an overly girly and mocking way in Beat's direction and held out his hand with a triumphant smirk. "Pay up, Beat."

The skateboarder was too shocked and still babbled incoherently. Neku frowned and walked in front of him, slapping him lightly on both cheeks. "Oi, Beat?"

"Neku, allow Beat to regain his senses. He just lost 13805 yen. That's a lot of money." Rhyme chimed in.

"I…I-I…" Beat stuttered out, unable to form a coherent sentence. Neku sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Beat…do not tell me that you don't even have that yen. I will throttle you if you don't pay up."

Beat snapped back in reality and laughed in a forced manner. He patted his short pockets frantically and grunted sheepishly. "Eh…I-I have it! Just gimme a sec…"

Neku's heart dropped in dread. Beat probably does not have the yen-

"Hehe! Yeah! Here it is!" Beat held up a bag and shook it in too much relief. Neku peered at him suspiciously before taking the small bag. He opened the small drawstring bag to reveal thirteen thousand yen pins, a five hundred pin, three one hundred pins, and a five yen pin. It was the exact amount that Neku and Beat betted on in the first place. Blue eyes locked on the yen in disbelief.

Neku's, as well as everyone else's, nagging thoughts about Beat's neglect for the yen quickly popped unexpectedly. No one expected Beat to conjure the money from his pockets. Apparently, neither did Beat as his expression contorted into one of shocked surprise and sheepish embarrassment. It was like the yen magically appeared in his pockets.

"E-eh, well, there your money, Phones." Beat rubbed the nape of neck sheepishly. His slow mind struggled to process of what the hell just happened.

Neku blinked and stammered out, surprised. "Y-yeah, thanks. Beat…Where did you get the money anyway?"

An awkward silence passed through the shop. Then, suddenly (and thankfully), Rhyme broke the tension with her high and angelic voice. "Beat, aren't we supposed to be heading home right now?"

"Y-yeah. We go now…See you guys…Thanks, Coffee Man…." Beat trailed off, leaving the heavy and suffocating awkwardness of silence with Rhyme. The petite girl waved back cheerfully and left the café with Beat. No one spoke a word even after the glass door clicked close.

"Well…that was awkward, was it not?" Joshua spoke out.

As if a spell was lifted, Shiki laughed in relief and sat down, packing up her stuff. "Anyway, me and Eri should get going too, right?"

Neku scratched his left ear. "Yeah, I better get going too. It's been…a long day, I guess."

"Yeah…" Eri shrugged and went back to the table to get her stuff.

Bending down to gather her shopping bags from underneath the table, Eri nearly jumped in the air when a slender hand tapped her shoulder lightly. She turned to face Joshua. "What?"

"I suppose I never formerly introduced myself. We only met by accident at this café. However, I have to thank you for watching over my dear Neku." The Composer complimented warmly. "I could see why Michiko and the others admire you."

Eri blushed slightly at his compliment. "Well, I could've never got Neku under control without Shiki's help too. You're a good guy, Joshua…despite the circumstances of which I met you in. But I can't get that nagging feeling that I have met you before…before the…well, you know, that café storage room encounter." The designer smiled at him. It was a sign of a strong friendship. "I thank you for helping and taming Neku as well."

She only got a giggle and a flip of the hair in response. Joshua's eyes turned upward in thought as he rubbed his chin coyly. "Well, it's a small world. We might've. I'm not too entirely sure. I like your designs, Eri. They're so innovative and…well, I believe that with your unique mindset, you're able to go very far in life. Probably even acquire some jobs you could never imagine." Like being a GM in training, for example.

Eri laughed and waved off Joshua's veneration in embarrassment. "Ha, I'm not all that but I do appreciate your compliment." She held out her hand. "You seem like the type of person who I could work with in the future. I do hope this is not the last time we meet."

"My thoughts, exactly, Eri." Joshua accepted her hand and graciously raised it to peck it softly. "We shall meet again."

The girl did not blush and merely giggled before turning to Neku with a calm and serene expression. She took both of his hands in hers and gazed at him with grateful eyes. "…You have no idea of how grateful I am right now."

Flushing over her intense gaze, Neku turned away and grunted. "…I was forced to. But…you're welcome, I guess."

"I am bound to get that internship to the fashion school I wanted. All because of you, Neku." Eri continued on, still grasping his hands tightly. "You are truly a wonderful person and…I respect you. Thank you so very much. You just made a girl very happy."

"Eh." Neku forced himself to meet Eri's glowing eyes in embarrassment. Eri leaned in and quickly kissed his cheek.

"See you. Oh, and by the way, I'll take that handbag back. It's a limited Dragon Couture edition. You can keep the dress if you want to. Consider it a little thank you gift." Well, that ruined the nice mood. With that, Eri let go of his hands and went to the glass door after picking up the bag and emptying out Neku's things on the table on the way. Neku snorted at Eri's apparent little regard for his stuff. Shiki smiled softly and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. It was her turn.

Neku groaned with a sheepish smile. "Oh no…your turn with the whole sentimental comments of how great I am?"

The brown-haired girl laughed, cradling Mr. Mew in her arms. Her brown eyes sparkled in admiration and love for her friend. "Yup! Thank you for making Eri so happy! She's never been this happy ever in her life." She stepped in and enveloped Neku in her arms. "I knew you were such a softie." The other hesitantly hugged back.

"Sure…Shiki."

Stepping back, Shiki nodded faintly at him. She felt like this excruciating experience served to open Neku's world up even more. Neku matured even more, accepting others and taking difficult things in a stride. He just succeeded cross dressing in public and modeling for the sake of her best friend. She could only hope he felt the same. With that comforting thought of Neku's heart warming up more, Shiki left and waved good bye.

Neku and Joshua were the only ones left in Sanae's café. Neku's shoulders slumped down as he plopped himself in a chair, taking his fallen phone. He stared at it, overwhelmed with emotion. So much happened in two weeks after all….And Neku had to say, he did not really mind….It was….fun. Neku closed his eyes briefly as he sorted out his emotions. Those two weeks were not like any other in his life. He will never ever forget them.

He pressed buttons on his phone.

"What are you doing?" Joshua asked.

Neku continued to dial the numbers on his phone. "What else? I'm calling my mom. I need to tell her that I should be coming home in fifteen."

The other leaned against a table lazily. "Oh, right."

"Mmmhmm." Neku absently scratched his face as he dialed the numbers. He was surprised to see a faint blue coating his fingers. The eyeshadow. His eyes landed on the small bottle of makeup remover lying on its side. He set his phone down on the table and turned to Sanae. The barista was currently making himself yet another cup of coffee behind the counter.

"Hey, Mr. H."

Sanae looked up from his bean brewing. "Shoot, Phones."

"You have a bathroom or something? I want to clean this off and change out of these things."

Sanae rolled his eyes in a knowing manner and stretched an arm. He pointed to the door on his right, opposite to the storage room. "Yeah, I got a bathroom for you. Go on the farthest room to your left in the hallway."

"Thanks, Mr. H." Neku forced himself to get off from the chair and gathered his clothes and the makeup remover. He went to the room Sanae directed him in and advanced down the dimly lit hallway before reaching his destination. Shutting and locking the door behind him, Neku set his things on top of the counter. He grunted in slight pain as he tried to untangle his natural hair from the wig attached to his head. After pulling out several bobby pins, the deed was done. He sighed as his scalp lightly tingled from being freed from the wig. He scratched his head gently. After shaking his hands through his hair in a fast motion, he found it back to its somewhat usual style, dampened by the hairspray. He'll have to get rid of that with a shower.

He picked up the bottle and read the directions briefly next. Then, he began to use it to wipe the blue eye shadow and blush off his cheeks as his body leaned into the mirror. He sniggered in disgust as smeared blue and pink markings appeared on the toilet tissue. Scrunching it up and throwing it away, Neku moved to his clothes next. He snapped his heels off.

He shrugged off his jacket and bend down to throw the dress over his head before pulling it off completely. He changed back to his usual blue tank and baggy white shorts easily. He touched his collar area absentmindedly, feeling cloth instead of skin. He sighed in happiness as his legs were adorned with his familiar white shorts and his neck was covered by the all too familiar tall collar. He slipped into his comfortable shoes and gathered his stuff, checking if he left anything behind. Then, he unlocked and open the door. His default scowl activated when his blue eyes zeroed in on Joshua who stood before him, leaning against the opposite wall.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing much." Joshua smiled casually as he placed his hands in his pockets calmly. Neku knew something was up.

"You know something."

"Of course, I do, dear. When have I ever not?"

Neku glared at him, making the other sigh. "Josh…"

"Fine. I overestimated you. Did you really think Beat had the money, Neku?"

Letting a thick lump go down his throat, Neku shook his head. "I didn't want to believe it but I knew it was you in an instant."

Joshua beamed back cordially. "Of course you did. You know money is never a problem for me."

"What do you want anyway?" Neku leaned against the doorway of the bathroom.

"I want many things, sweetheart.-"

"Joshua…" Neku cut to a warning tone, earning a giggle from the boy.

Finally, the Composer gave him a knowing smirk and brought up something from his back that made Neku's eyes immediately widened. "It's a thank you gift for making two weeks of my boring life more interesting."

In his hands were Neku's trusty blue headphones with an Mp3 to go with it. It looked exactly like the pair that Beat broke. Neku stared at it in disbelief.

"I got Sanae to fetch you another pair and sign the back of the Mp3, knowing that you had too much pride to ask for an autograph yourself. " Joshua remarked, turning the Mp3 to reveal a shiny black permanent marker signature of "CAT." It glinted proudly in the light. Neku's breath hitched in his throat.

"O-oh…"

"You can use the money for something else, Neku." Joshua placed the headphones over Neku's ears and hung the Mp3 over his neck. He looked at him amusedly. "Did you really think you could find another pair of Gatito signature headphones like yours?"

Neku did not expect to find another type of headphones exactly like his but he wanted the money to get revenge on Beat and he held onto that tiny shred of hope that he could find another pair of his beloved headphones. The boy was silent. His body shuddered slightly at the reunion with its lost companion which rested safely on his head. Neku muttered something.

"Hmm? What was that?"

"…Thanks."

Joshua offered him a gentle smile before smirking. "By the way, you never thanked me for becoming your saving grace at Tin Pin Slammer. You never paid me back for saving your behind from being kicked by a fifth grader."

Neku stiffened and avoided eye contact with him harshly. "Y-you did that yourself. I was doing just fine."

Unfazed and all too used by the boy's rough behavior, Joshua lowered his purple eyes in amusement, flicking a stray lock out of his face. "Oh, really? I think not." Neku's face went ablaze. "I distinctly remember your desperate furrowed look as you hunched over the Tin Pin table. You look like you were about to kill yourself if you lost. So, naturally, I wanted to swoop to your rescue."

The other narrowed his eyes and glared venomously at him. "Joshua, I know you. You don't help me out of chivalry. You help me because you want _something _from me. Help is just your excuse. Spit it out."

Joshua's amethyst eyes shot up slightly in surprise. He let out a snicker before replacing it with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Of course. I want you."

Before Neku could ask "What?" or any variation of that, the orange haired boy found himself slammed against the wall. Joshua snorted as he pressed the boy against the wall.

"Composer powers have some use sometimes."

"Wha-Mmph!" Neku froze as his lips were covered by Joshua's. He could not move his body to make an attempt to push the other off. He felt his face heat up quickly.

Joshua gazed through his long eyelashes to capture Neku's surprised eyes. He nipped and licked at Neku's lips, obviously asking for entrance. He felt a slight shiver from Neku as he tried to suck on his bottom lip. Resisting a sigh of irritation at the other's lack of reaction, Joshua let his hands trail to his proxy's behind and squeezed, eliciting a gasp of surprise from the boy. The Composer took his chance.

He plundered the other with his tongue, mapping out the inside of the mouth. With expertise, he let his tongue drag languidly against Neku's teeth as if, asking the other to come out and play.

Joshua let his hands rest lazily on Neku's hips as he hummed slightly in his mouth. The Composer felt a rare stir of pure joy when the other's tongue hesitantly brushed against his briefly. He could barely contain his stoic and playful expression.

It didn't help that he felt Neku's hands limply dropped before shakily fisting his Dragon Couture shirt. While that made him happy, the Composer was slightly displeased at his now wrinkled shirt. He made a mental note to iron it as soon as he was done ravishing his proxy.

Joshua let his tongue stroked the other a few times briefly before making a move to pull his face away. However, the Composer saw a hand shot up and felt it violently press him back against his proxy. Joshua hissed at the slight pain as their lips collided once more. He had to train his proxy to control such brute strength.

Wet appendages slid against and over one another in an erotic fashion. It was like as if they were dancing gracefully against each other. Joshua heard a faint groan spill from Neku's lips. The Composer felt his own body shiver in response. He felt the other's hands grasping his forearms and dragging him closer.

Letting out a growl from the bottom of his throat, Neku pushed Joshua back slightly for breath. His face was flushed with need. His lips were swollen and clearly ravished thoroughly. An almost transparent string of saliva connected their lips. "Quit sucking my lips like a baby, you dumbass."

Joshua smirked before replying in a husky and snarky tone. "As you wish, my dear proxy."

The orange-haired boy let out a surprised yelp as a cool hand trailed itself upwards underneath his shirt. He shut his eyes in embarrassment as Joshua leaned in and bit his ear gently. The Composer smirked as he felt the boy give off a satisfying shiver when he dragged his tongue over the appendage.

Neku trembled as he felt the cool hand stroke his sides sensually. He felt his whole body go up into flame. He bit on his lip to prevent mewls and moans spilling out from his mouth. It took everything he had to resist reacting shamelessly to the other's pleasurable ministrations.

It was almost agonizingly painful when he felt Joshua's lips trail down his neck, pulling at his collar. The Composer suckled painfully at the junction of his neck, making Neku gasp. Neku scowled in embarrassment as Joshua knowingly smirked against his neck.

However, both parties gasp when their hips pressed oh so _pleasurably _against each other. The two were too lost in their own world to-

"Eh, um…Joshua? Phones?" Sanae cleared his throat awkwardly. Not again. What has he done to deserve this? Neku's mother called him, asking about her son so he wanted to check up on him. Instead, as soon as he opened the damn door, he sees his boss pratically dry humping the other, sucking face.

What the hell?

Neku made a strangled noise and pushed Joshua violently away from him. His face was truly red with embarrassment. "Mr. H!"

"Sanae…" Joshua staggered backwards; his shoulder hitting the wall from Neku's sudden push. He winced painfully. He felt a headache coming on

Sanae did not miss Joshua's pissed off aura. The barista laughed in a forced manner, scratching the back of his neck. "Um…uh….I guess you two are fine. Neku…your mother…she called."

"Yeah…thanks, Mr. H. I…" Neku looked at the ground, ashamed of himself. He was too mortified to meet Sanae's eyes.

_Sanae, you are a bastard._

Okay, so Joshua was extremely pissed off. And that was all it took for Sanae to leave to escape the cockblocked Composer's growing temper and the heavy aura of awkwardness. The fallen angel left in a haste manner and let the door close behind him.

The heated and romantic mood was effectively slaughtered. The two both knew that. Goddammit

Neku refused to meet eyes with Joshua. His blue eyes searched fleetingly along the ground as his mouth pressed into a thin line of irritation.

The Composer sighed and massaged his shoulder. "Well, that was a horrible distraction."

"Gods, what have I done…" Neku mumbled softly.

"Well, I slammed you against the wall and I-"

Neku's head swiveled towards him in a snapping manner. "I know what we did! Just don't…Oh gawd."

Knowing that it would probably be wise to avoid the topic, Joshua sighed and walked over. "It was a good two weeks, no?"

Neku hesitantly locked eyes with him. He was relieved for the topic change. "Yeah…I had…fun. It wasn't that…bad."

Joshua's mouth curved into a gentle smile. "Of course. Must've been exhausting, right?"

Neku nodded in agreement. His eyes flew fleetingly in the hallway. "J-joshua?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for everything." Neku dropped to his knees and sighed heavily. "…I feel so overwhelmed…"

Joshua felt as overwhelmed as Neku. He showed a rare sign of surprise. Neku never thanked him for anything before. Purple eyes stared at him in disbelief.

Neku awkwardly smiled at him. "I don't like the things you do. However," He took a deep breath. "I don't necessarily hate you."

Purple eyes still stared at him. Neku's shoulders slumped. "What I'm trying to say is that I don't dislike you. And…when you offered your help two weeks ago, my first instinct was to trust you and take your word for it."

Joshua was silent. So, Neku continued. "I guess…trusting you is still a habit I had. I knew it was wrong but I still did anyway. My mind was reluctant but my heart wasn't. These two weeks…." He let out a dry laugh. "They were really something. With you, I thought everything would become worse. To my surprise, they didn't."

"Neku…" He was speechless at Neku's confession.

"Instead, they turned out for the best. I never thanked you for that."

The Composer felt his whole being washed over with Neku's little speech. Joshua bended down and enveloped Neku in his arms. He felt the other hesitantly hugging back.

Joshua closed his eyes and smiled. "Such an impact these two weeks had on you, hasn't it?"

"Something more or less of that, I guess."

Joshua laughed softly. "Your explanation is so screwed up. It's quite stupid of how two weeks and a worthless bet can get you to admit those sorts of feelings."

Neku mumbled nostalgically in his hold, tightening his grasp around Joshua. "I'm surprised myself. Well….those were two weeks of stupidity, weren't they?"

0.o.0.o.0.

"So he was like, 'Oh my gosh, Joshua, I love you so much. I will be your proxy forever and ever!" Joshua chirped happily to his two friends, staying in his Composer Pad for a "ttlly awsome sleepover". He laid on his white couch in a lazy manner and opened his mouth to continue until-

Beep.

Beep.

The Composer blinked for a few moments before fishing out for his orange phone in his pockets. He flipped it open and his face contorted into a look of amusement. It was a text message from his dear proxy.

_Oi, pansy. Eri invited us to lunch to celebrate her scholarship to her stupid fashion school. Get your ass over at Ramen Don tomorrow at twelve. Neku._

Joshua resisted a laugh. Instead, he snickered.

One of his two friends turned her head languidly from her laptop. She was perched gracefully on the floor, kneeling at the table in front of Joshua. "Was that something from your 'dear proxy?' Seriously, Josh?"

Joshua giggled and nodded, turning his gaze to the girl in front of him. Purple eyes met playfully with cobalt black eyes. "Yes, my friend."

The girl twitched her eye and tucked a stray lock of raven black hair behind her hair. She sighed and turned back to her laptop. "Of course…how typical of you."

Joshua shifted his body and lied on his stomach, leaning against his elbows. He giggled lightly. "Oh, must you be such a downer?"

The fourteen year old girl snorted and resumed to typing on her laptop. "Sure, Joshua."

The Shibuya Composer cocked his head and scrutinized her with a knowing gaze. "I trust that you had a nice year long vacation in my world?"

"It was nice." She did not stop typing.

"You're wearing that blouse and skirt that Eri gave you, aren't you, _Michiko_?"

Michiko's typing faltered. "Shut up, Joshua."

The other laughed and shot her a sickeningly sweet smile. "Aw, should the Composer of Shinjuku be like that? Especially after I graciously offered you my home as an escape to be away from your duties for so long?"

Michiko scowled and turned to face Joshua. "I simply do not like troubling myself with the Game. I hate games."

Joshua sighed. "You are a liar, dear Michiko. You simply find writing slash stories your cup of tea and wanted to escape your own home so you could ditch your duties."

"Damn right I wanted to. Hey, give me a synonym for 'moan?'" Michiko answered emotionlessly before turning back to her laptop.

Joshua grinned before tapping his chin in thought. "Hmm….Mewl? Groan? Let out a pleasured noise?"

"Oh stop, Yoshiya. Don't encourage Michiko. It's already bad she's corrupted." Spoke from another.

Joshua met eyes to the male sitting at the edge of the couch, reading a novel with his feet propped up on the couch, next to Joshua. His tousled mahogany hair nearly curtained his glasses covered eyes. He looked no older than eighteen.

"Must you be a party pooper too, Naito?"

The Composer of Minato flushed timidly in embarrassment and buried his head in his book. "Cousin, my Mother told me to watch over Michiko. She told me not to get her into any trouble."

Joshua snorted in response while Michiko laughed. "Oh, dear cousin, Naito, your deceptively submissive personality can't fool me. You love games as much as me and her. I am merely doting on our cousin as payment for her stirring up some events to make my boring life a bit more interesting."

"You're welcome too, Joshua." Michiko called out, still typing her slash story.

However, Naito spluttered indignantly. "Wha-what? How dare you accuse me, Yoshiya!"

Joshua clucked his tongue and changed his body position into one sitting on the couch. "See? You're not so timid."

"You insulted me!"

"Your ears were twitching. You were listening to my engaging story of those fabulous two weeks I spent with my beloved proxy."

"I was curious!"

"Curious to see if my proxy and his dear friends ever figured out that Michiko was a Composer."

"That doesn't say anything about me!"

"You always act uninterested. I know you aren't, cousin."

Michiko sighed and shook her head as her two favorite cousins began to bicker. After a few minutes, they quieted down. Naito ignored Joshua halfway through their argument and buried his nose in his novel once more so Joshua gave up and began to talk to Michiko. "So, what did you think of Eri?"

The raven haired Composer smiled and turned back. "She's very creative and friendly. I like her." She suddenly scrunched up her nose in distaste. "Why do you always get the good souls?"

Joshua giggled. "Don't be selfish, Michiko. There's plenty of interesting people at your home too. Give them some credit."

The two Composers talked some more until Naito closed his novel, apparently finishing it. He straightened his glasses and peered at them. "I find it a little silly that we came here just because we like to exchange stories about our homes. Is this some sort of contest?"

Joshua laughed amiably. "You may call it that, cousin. You're just jealous that I always have a field day with my people."

Naito pouted in distaste while Michiko turned to Joshua and stuck out her tongue.

"If you want my opinion, your stories are utterly ridiculous." Naito remarked sternly. "You're mature, Joshua. All of us know it but you just need to show it a tad bit more often."

It was Joshua's turn to pout in distaste. He whined mockingly. "But life would be so boooriiiing that way."

Michiko giggled and closed her laptop. "Since I have nothing else better to do, may I accompany you to that gathering your proxy was telling you about?"

The Composer of Shibuya only nodded and leaned back into the couch. "Of course, Michiko. Eri would be so glad to see you."

The Minato Composer sighed and pinched his brow. "I seriously do not see how you two can be so amused by your own people's antics."

The other two could only giggled in response.

This was the life for a Composer.

/

1. Inside joke, FTW!

2. You're looking at my own Tin Pin deck.

Urgh... this ending was a flop...anyway, to the people who still read it, thank you for sticking with this crappy author and complementary story. You're all awesome. I thank everyone who reviewed, faved, and alerted this story. This story has closed and I want all your comments about it. So, **please, please, REVIEW!**


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